As I sit back reflecting on all of the fun I keep having with Cayuga County, NY, and in particular, the systematic approach I have been taking with my own investigation…I started thinking about how all of the young professionals out there would handle all of this fun. Then I started thinking these same young professionals may not be familiar with some of the models and approaches I’ve used over the years…or more importantly…training resources that are available to them. Therefore, I would like to use this opportunity to reintroduce some FREE and incredible online training resources through FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute (EMI). There are some requirements you must meet, however, if you work in specific professions such as emergency management, environmental health and public safety, etc., then you should easily be able to obtain access to the courses. The link to EMI can be found on the FEMA website – The National Disaster and Emergency Management University. This website has an incredible amount of information and resources!
When tackling complex projects or challenges that at times may seem insurmountable, both personal and professional, I’ve utilized a hybrid model following concepts from these three widely known and accepted models:
I found utilizing this hybrid model, coupled with good documentation and file management techniques, has been very successful in overcoming major challenges throughout my professional career.
Here are links to some useful training resources:
FEMA’s EMI – Distance Learning Course List
FEMA’s EMI – Frequently Asked Questions
FEMA Continuity Excellence Series - Professional and Master Practitioner Continuity Certificate Programs
NYS Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES) Training
In case anyone is wondering, yes, my training has indeed been of substantial benefit to me in dealing with Cayuga County, NY. I thought it would be funny to take a quick look back at the FEMA EMI courses I took over 10 years ago while I was living and working in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I’m sure many of the names and course numbers have changed, however, this list gives you an idea of some courses that may be freely available online to specific professionals through FEMA’S Emergency Management Institute:
IS-00100.b - Introduction to Incident Command System ICS-100
IS-00120.a - An Introduction to Exercises
IS-00130 - Exercise Evaluation and Improvement Planning
IS-00139 - Exercise Design
IS-00156 - Building Design for Homeland Security for Continuity of Operations
IS-00200.b - ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incident, ICS-200
IS-00230.d - Fundamentals of Emergency Management
IS-00235.b - Emergency Planning
IS-00240.b - Leadership and Influence
IS-00241.b - Decision Making and Problem Solving
IS-00242.b - Effective Communication
IS-00244.b - Developing and Managing Volunteers
IS-00520 - Introduction to Continuity of Operations Planning for Pandemic Influenzas
IS-00522 - Exercising Continuity Plans for Pandemics
IS-00524 - Continuity of Operations (COOP) Planner's Workshop
IS-00546.a - Continuity of Operations (COOP) Awareness Course
IS-00547.a - Introduction to Continuity of Operations
IS-00548 - Continuity of Operations (COOP) Manager
IS-00551 - Devolution Planning
IS-00700.a - National Incident Management System (NIMS): An Introduction
IS-00800.b - National Response Framework, An Introduction