Training and Exercises

Student Manuals

The manuals and resources you need for emergency management trainings, exercises, and workshops.

A student thumbs through a manual.

Overview

Student manuals and materials specific to the trainings, exercises, workshops, and courses we host. Sign up for courses on TRAIN PA.

All-Hazards

Trainings considering the full range of hazards, disasters, and emergencies that could impact communities, organizations, and governments.

This course provides advanced level training needed by personnel responsible for managing incidents of greater complexity than those typically encountered during routine operations.

The intended audience for this course is those in the role of Air Support Group Supervisor in the Incident Command Structure. 

See the student manual (PDF) for more information

This course will provide advanced level training needed by personnel responsible for managing incidents of greater complexity than those typically encountered during routine operations.

This course is intended for Command and General Staff and selected Unit Leader positions within a Type III and/or Type IV Incident Management Team (IMT) environment.

See the student manual (PDF) for more information

This course was designed for the person with little or no aviation knowledge. It will provide you with an overview of air operations terminology and critical concepts necessary to interact safely with air operations and personnel. 

The intended audience for this course is those seeking knowledge of air operations knowldege.

See the student manual (PDF) for more information. 

This course provides advanced level training needed by personnel responsible for managing incidents of greater complexity than those typically encountered during routine operations.

The intended audience for this course is those in the role of Operations Section Chief in the Incident Command Structure. 

See the student manual (PDF) for more information.

This course provides advanced level training needed by personnel responsible for managing incidents of greater complexity than those typically encountered during routine operations.

The intended audience for this course is those in the role of Planning Section Chief in the Incident Command Structure. 

See the student manual (PDF) for more information

The goal of this professional development course is to provide federal, state, tribal, and local-level emergency responders with an overview of key duties and responsibilities of a Public Information Officer in a Type III All-Hazards Incident Management Team (AHIMT).

This course is intended for those with an interest in public information officer duties.

See the student manual (PDF) for more information.

This course provides advanced level training needed by personnel responsible for managing incidents of greater complexity than those typically encountered during routine operations.

The intended audience for this course is those in the role of Force/Strike (Resource) Team Leader in the Incident Command Structure. 

See the student manual (PDF) for more information

Incident Command System

Trainings on the standardized approach to the command, control, and coordination of emergency response.

This course provides training for personnel who require advanced application of the Incident Command System (ICS). This course expands upon information covered in ICS 100 through ICS 300 courses, which are prerequisites for the ICS 400 course.

The target audience for this course is senior personnel who are expected to perform in a management capacity in an Area Command or Multi-Agency Coordination Entity.

See the student manual (PDF) for more information

This course is designed to enable personnel to operate efficiently during an incident or event within the Incident Command System (ICS). Lessons focus on the management of an initial response to an incident.

This course is intended for initial responders who require knowledge of the Incident Command System. 

See the student manual (PDF) for more information.

 

The goal of this professional development course, E/L/G 0191 Emergency Operations Center/Incident Command System Interface, is to enable the students to develop an effective interface between the Incident Command/Unified Command and the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) by applying National Incident Management System principles.

The intended audience(s) are federal, state, tribal, territorial, local level, private industry, volunteer and nongovernmental emergency management personnel who are active in a community's ICS and EOC activities. This course works best when delivered to combined audience of ICS and EOC personnel. The materials were developed with the assumption that audience members may have little or no actual experience as a member of an Incident Command Post staff or an EOC staff.

Please see the student manual (PDF) for additional information.

The purpose of this course is to familiarize Senior Officials (executives, elected and appointed officials, city/county managers, agency administrators, etc.) with their role in supporting incident management within the National Incident Management System (NIMS).

The intended audience is executives and senior officials, including elected officials, city/county managers, agency administrators, etc.

See the student manual (PDF) for more information

This course provides training for personnel who require advanced application of the Incident Command System (ICS). This course expands upon information covered in the ICS 100 and ICS 200 courses.

This course is intended for emergency management and those who hold incident command positions.

See the student manual (PDF) for more information.

Planning, Mitigation, and Recovery

Courses that help emergency managers plan for, mitigate, and recover from disasters.

This course offers training in the fundamentals of the emergency planning process, including the rationale behind planning. It will develop the capability for effective participation in the all-hazard emergency operations planning process to save lives, protect property and the enviornment threatened by disaster.

This course is designed for emergency management personnel who are involved in developing an effective emergency planning system.

See the student manual (PDF) for additional information

This course will equip local officials with the knowledge, understanding, and skills they need to be able to conduct rapid and effective needs and damage assessments in order to save lives and protect property.

The intended audience is state and local officials who are responsible for assessing, collecting, and reporting damages during and after any event that causes damage of private, public, and critical infrastructure.

See the student manual (PDF) for more information.

This course is designed to enable the non-technical emergency worker to acquire skills in the use of mitigation. The course provides training in how to perform mitigation activities fundamental to reducing and eliminating long-term risk from hazards. It addresses the important roles of the emergency program manager (or other local government representative) in mitigation: motivator, coordinator, and monitor in local implementation of the National Mitigation Strategy.

The intended audience is state, local, and tribal government emergency program managers, other emergency management staff, and other local government employees responsible for mitigation.

See the student manual (PDF) for more information

This course provides plan developers with the information necessary to prepare and implement a local hazard mitigation plan.

This course is intended for those involved in the development of a local mitigation plan.

See the student manual (PDF) for more information

This course provides information and resources that will enable participants to plan an effective Damage Assessment Program and conduct rapid and effective damage assessments in order to save lives, protect property and the environment, and begin the process of recovery and mitigation.

The intended audience is local officials who are responsible for assessing, collecting, and reporting damages during and after any event that causes damage of private, public, and critical infrastructure.

Please see the student manual (PDF) for more information. 

This course is the condensed version of the 4-day E0210 resident course. This course covers foundational concepts in disaster recovery and the latest guidance on recovery planning. Participants will either assess their own recovery plan or a sample against this national planning guidance. Following that, participants will discuss how a disaster recovery effort can be organized, managed, and led along with the types of challenges faced by recovery managers.

This course is designed for local elected officials (mayor, city/county council member), tribal leaders, city/county manager/staff, city/county planners/staff, regional planning commissions, economic development districts, finance director/assessor, emergency manager/staff, public works director/staff, building inspector/staff, floodplain manager/staff, health care administrator or planner, public information officer, housing director or planner/staff, voluntary agency coordinator or unmet needs committee coordinator, business organization representative, administrative director/manager, state recovery staff and partners

See the student manual (PDF) for more information.

Public Information

Trainings for professionals who communicate with the public during an emergency or disaster.

The goal of this professional development course is to provide federal, state, tribal, and local-level emergency responders with an overview of key duties and responsibilities of a Public Information Officer in a Type III All-Hazards Incident Management Team (AHIMT).

This course is intended for those with an interest in public information officer duties.

See the student manual (PDF) for more information.

Public information consists of the processes, procedures, and systems to communicate timely, accurate, and accessible information to affected audiences. Armed with good information, people are empowered to make better decisions and thus contribute to the overall response goal of saving lives and protecting property. Personnel tasked with gathering, verifying, coordinating, and disseminating public information at the federal, state, tribal, local, and territorial levels bear this considerable responsibility concurrently with other job assignments.

This course is intended for individuals being designated as public information officers.

See the student manual (PDF) for more information. 

Public information consists of the processes, procedures, and systems to communicate timely, accurate, and accessible information to affected audiences. Armed with good information, people are better able to make good decisions and, by doing so; contribute to the overall response goal of saving lives and protecting property.

This course is designed for public information officers who will be working in a JIS/JIC.

See the student manual (PDF) for more information. 

E/L 105 Public Information Basics is a two-day course with the goal of assisting individuals and jurisdictions who desire to develop or enhance their public information and warning core capabilities.

The intended audience for this course are newly appointed emergency managers from State, local, tribal, territorial, and Federal emergency management agencies, and prospective professionals transferring from another discipline to emergency management.

See the student manual (PDF) for more information

Response

Trainings that improve response when an emergency is happening.

This course provides training for local communities to prepare for and manage the Mass Care/Emergency Assistance (MC/EA) functions effectively. The goal is to prepare community agencies, organizations, and businesses to work together in coordination with Emergency Management and traditional MC providers to plan and provide MC/EA services to those affected by disaster.

Selection Criteria: This course is intended for MC coordinators, management staff, non-governmental organization leaders, private sector, and other emergency management staff that are a part of the team and have a responsibility for effective MC/EA preparedness and response.

See the student manual (PDF) for more information.

This 12-hour course provides participants with the knowledge and skills needed to design and implement an evacuation and re-entry plan for their jurisdictions. It uses a community’s vulnerability analysis and evacuation plan. It also addresses evacuation behavior and recommends methods to make evacuation and re-entry more efficient. This course does not address the decision to evacuate or re-enter.

This course is meant for those responsible for planning, implementing, and carrying out evacuations within a jurisdiction. This includes, but is not limited to, state and local government emergency program managers, emergency planners, and response personnel.

See the student manual (PDF) for more information

This course is intended to demonstrate, through activities and a Final Exam, the managerial and operational roles of the modern-day Emergency Operations Center (EOC) as a Command and Coordination functional group operating within a Multiagency Coordination System.

The intended audience for this course is personnel who desire to develop their Emergency Operation Center knowledge. 

See the student manual (PDF) for more information.

The course goal is to provide local emergency management personnel and voluntary agency representatives with the knowledge and skills necessary to develop and execute an effective volunteer and donations management program as well as develop a volunteer and donation management support annex.

This course is intended for emergency management and voluntary agency representatives.

See the student manual (PDF) for more information.

This course introduces the skills and planning considerations required to manage large numbers of people who are not affiliated with an experienced relief organization, but who want to help in disasters. These helpers or “spontaneous volunteers” are generally well motivated and sincerely want to help, but if their efforts and resources are not coordinated effectively, they could be counterproductive, wasteful, and often place a strain on the disaster area.

The intended audience is emergency managers and voluntary organizations responsible for the management of volunteers.

See the student manual (PDF) for more information.

Participants will learn to identify the characteristics of a mass fatality incident and identify the roles and responsibilities of key personnel in the incident. In addition, the instructor will describe the steps required to respond to a mass fatalities incident, including catastrophic numbers of fatalities and contaminated remains, and help participants determine their jurisdiction’s preparedness for a mass fatalities event.

This course is intended for local responders who may have responsibility for the recovery, handling, identification, and return of remains following a mass fatalities incident.

See the student manual (PDF) for more information.

Severe Weather

Trainings related to inclement weather that could cause loss of property and life.

This course will prepare school staff and administrators for an earthquake at their school location. The course is designed to describe the effects of an earthquake; explain how to mitigate those effects; state the key elements of an earthquake plan for preparedness, response, and recovery; and outline the procedures for training and exercises related to that emergency plan.

The intended audience is school board members, district executives, district risk managers, principals, administrators, teachers, parents, Parent Teacher Association members, community first responders, school support staff, and transportation coordinators.

Using a combination of lectures, discussions, activities, and exercises, the course will take participants through the complete process from well before the flood to clean-up afterwards. Officials from every community at risk of flooding should take this training.

This course is for emergency managers, public works officials, levee district representatives, and others responsible for planning, preparing, and managing the response to a flood. 

See the student manual (PDF) for more information

This course provides training for local and state emergency managers who respond to hazardous weather events, while promoting partnership and coordination between the National Weather Service (NWS) and emergency managers. The goal of this course is to enhance emergency managers’ ability to recognize potentially hazardous weather and flooding situations so they are equipped to plan appropriately and to coordinate effective responses.

This course is intended for emergency management personnel and volunteer agency representatives.

See the student manual (PDF) for additional information.

This course is the latest in the hazardous weather series of courses produced in partnership with the National Weather Service. Every year, the United States experiences more severe weather than any other country in the world. In order to reduce deaths, injuries, and property losses, emergency managers must work closely with the NWS and the news media to provide effective warnings that can be received and understood by people at risk. This course is intended to help facilitate that process.

This course is intended for emergency managers.

See the student manual (PDF) for more information. 

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