KALKASKA, MI, UNITED STATES, August 4, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ — Coldsprings-Excelsior Fire and Rescue becomes a Certified Autism Center™ (CAC) after receiving autism-specific training from the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES). To earn this credential, at least 80% of community-facing staff completed training to equip them with understanding, skills, and resources to best support and assist their community, especially autistic and sensory-sensitive individuals and their families.
“Autism training is very important to this department as several of our members of the department, as well as our Authority Board, have family members that are on the spectrum. This training not only helps us to better understand them but also allows us to better recognize individuals on the spectrum and interact with them for the best possible outcomes when responding to calls,” says Coldsprings-Excelsior fire chief, Rusty Headley.
“Completing autism training to be able to best support autistic and sensory-sensitive individuals is a testament to Coldsprings-Excelsior Fire and Rescue’s dedication to being a community partner. IBCCES is proud to designate the department as a Certified Autism Center™,” says IBCCES board chairman, Myron Pincomb.
For more than two decades, IBCCES has been a leader in providing autism, sensory and neurodiversity training and certification for professionals worldwide, including those in healthcare, education, public safety, travel, and corporate sectors. As the only credentialing board offering these programs, IBCCES provides training from subject matter experts and autistic self-advocates, along with long-term support, continuous learning, onsite reviews, and renewal requirements to ensure continued growth and lasting impact.
To further support inclusivity efforts, Coldsprings-Excelsior Fire and Rescue is featured on the IBCCES Accessibility App, which is free to download. This app provides individuals with a variety of disabilities real-time guidance on certified destinations, sensory-friendly spaces, and tailored recommendations. By connecting users to accessible locations worldwide, the app helps ensure seamless, enjoyable experiences for everyone.
IBCCES also provides access to resources such as CertifiedAutismCenter.com and AutismTravel.com, free online tools for families that list certified locations and professionals. Each organization listed on the site has met Certified Autism Center™ (CAC) requirements.
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About Coldsprings-Excelsior Fire and Rescue
Coldsprings-Excelsior Fire and Rescue is a paid on-call fire department that provides fire protection and emergency medical services to Coldsprings, Excelsior, Oliver, and part of Rapid River Twps. in Kalkaska County MI., including but not limited to structural firefighting, hazmat, vehicle extrication, vehicle stabilization, wildland fire suppression, ice rescue, water rescue, off-road/snowmobile rescue and much more. We will also send you to school to become an EMR/MFR or EMT if you desire. We are also now offering paid on-call shifts for those who are already certified in firefighting as well as a sign-on bonus. If you have any questions, please feel free to stop in any Monday night at 7:00pm to take a tour of the station and see what it’s all about.
About IBCCES
Delivering the global standard for training and certification in the fields of autism, neurodiversity, and accessibility – IBCCES provides a series of certification programs that empower professionals to be leaders in their field and improve the outcomes for the individuals they serve. For over two decades, IBCCES has been a global leader, setting the industry standard in autism and cognitive differences training. IBCCES works in over 111 countries and provides training in 8 languages, and its programs have been recognized around the world as the leading benchmark in training and certification.
In addition to individual certification programs, IBCCES partners with cities, destinations, and organizations on initiatives like the Certified Autism Destination™ (CAD) and Autism Certified City™ (ACC), ensuring autistic and sensory-sensitive residents and visitors feel welcomed and safe. Destinations that achieve the CAD designation have completed a specialized program that ensures a multitude of recreation, hospitality and entertainment organizations have completed an autism and sensory-sensitivity training, certification and IBCCES facilities review process. The ACC designation expands on that program and includes IBCCES training and certification for the public safety, education, healthcare and workplace sectors.
IBCCES also created the Accessibility App, AutismTravel.com, and CertifiedAutismCenter.com – free resources for individuals with a variety of neurodiversities and disabilities, listing certified locations and connecting individuals to other resources and each other.
Meredith Tekin
IBCCES
+1 904-508-0135
email us here
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