News
March 15, 2005
Contacts: Suzy Ames, Director of Communications, SBCTC, 360-704-4310
John Fortugno, Director, Homeland Security Institute, 253-912-3689
Connie Broughton, Director, WAOL Virtual Campus, 509-434-5152
Mike Gordon, State Training Officer, Emergency Management Division 253-512-7049
Michael Smith, Terrorism and Disaster Response, Washington State, Department of Health 1-800-458-5276
Weapons of mass destruction classes now online for first responders
OLYMPIA – Washington state’s more than 100,000+ first responders can now receive online awareness-level training in weapons of mass destruction. The course is the first of five developed by WashingtonOnline and the Homeland Security Institute in conjunction with the Military Department’s Emergency Management Division, the Washington State Patrol and the federal Office for Domestic Preparedness.
The training is part of the state Committee for Homeland Security’s (CHS) effort to better prepare emergency response professionals, given the ongoing threat of terrorist attacks, potentially involving chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive weapons. First responders work in many areas, including fire, police, emergency medical services, public works, emergency communications, HAZMAT, health care, emergency management, government leaders, CERT, public health, private security, transportation, and volunteer organizations such as the American Red Cross. These disciplines are represented on the CHS Training Subcommittee, and have played an important role in course development.
“Web-based training is a cost-effective way of reaching the wide range of first responders who must share common training if they are to react quickly in response to a large-scale or rapidly spreading incident or attack,” said John Fortugno, director of the Homeland Security Institute, which is part of the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges.
The courses are free and take two-to-four hours to complete. A 24-hour helpline is available, and trainees receive certificates upon successful completion. Follow-on classes, which will be available online soon, include Personal Protective Equipment, Mass Decontamination, Operational Security, and the National Incident Management System. While focused on the WMD threat, the common training, particularly in command structure and integration, will also help emergency management respond to natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, and tsunamis. Additional discipline-specific awareness and operational-level courses are being considered.
“There is an urgent need for shared training across disciplines,” Homeland Security’s John Fortugno said. “The online courses are the first step in achieving a greater level of safety and teamwork as emergency personnel react to a large scale terrorist attack or major disaster.”
For more information, first responders should see their training managers or visit www.homelandtraining.org
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