THE DALLES — A sergeant, a certified drug counselor, a Forest Service patrol officer and parent of an autistic child sat together to tell their stories.

About 30 first responders attended the 40-hour training on crisis intervention last month to help people in mental health crises, reducing the need for arrests and force, and increasing access to care, according to organizers. The lived experience panel gave the students a first-hand perspective.

THE GORGE — The Fighting Fires Together, a campaign by the Weyerhaeuser Company and the Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance, works to provi…