The Chilton County Sheriff’s Office is sponsoring the annual women’s self-defense class at the YMCA of Chilton County on Saturday, June 1 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1-5 p.m.

The class is free and designed for women ages 13 and older to learn valuable tips about self-defense.

“Our goal with this class is to educate the women of Chilton County about proper ways to protect themselves,” Investigator Erric Price said.

Although limited space is available for the class, Price said they are still accepting registrations.

Participants must complete a registration form and waiver. Anyone under 16 years old must be accompanied by an adult.

Due to limited spaces available, the class is offered on a first-come, first-served basis but Price said anyone missing out on this class will be able to attend next year.

“This class is a yearly thing so if you don’t catch this one, we will have it again,” Price said.

Participants should wear workout or sweat pants and a T-shirt (no shorts or tank tops).

A second class will also be available on June 8 to teach a women’s firearm safety class from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Chilton County YMCA and the range in Thorsby.

Price said this is the first year for the firearm safety class after the sheriff’s department thought it would be a valuable class for women throughout the county.

“There are a lot of women in this county who own a firearm but they don’t know what to do with it,” Price said. “We want to be able to show them helpful tips for not only when to deploy a firearm, but how to use them.”

Price said his goal for the firearm class is to teach techniques for when to use a firearm and train class participants to be in the mindset of knowing when to use the firearm.

The class is also available on a first-come, first-served basis and anyone interested in participating must complete and return the registration form and waiver.

“This is going to be a lot of fun and we are really thankful that we can partner with the YMCA and range in Thorsby to be able to make these classes possible,” Price said.

For more information, contact Investigator Erric Price at (205) 351-1804.