BANGOR – Rape Response Services will offer 40-hour training to volunteers for Penobscot and Piscataquis counties.

The sessions will run from 5 to 8 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays, Sept. 15 through Oct. 23, at the Bangor office.

Topics will include acquaintance and date rape, crisis intervention, domestic violence, HIV-AIDS education, legal and medical protocols among other subjects.

Volunteers will be provided pagers to allow flexibility for times when they are on call. Each person on the Bangor hot line is expected to commit to one shift a week and to attend an advocates meeting from 6 to 9 p.m. on the third Wednesday of every month.

In addition to providing support and information to survivors and caring for others on the crisis and support line, volunteers provide accompaniment to the hospital, to the physician or other health care provider offices, or to law enforcement agencies. Volunteers also may provide support during the court process.

Call 973-3651 or e-mail Scurrie@penquis.org for more information.