By Zachary Smith, FirstNet Emergency Management Specialist

FirstNet staff recently had the opportunity to attend training offered by the Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) in Anniston, Ala. I attended the CDP in my capacity as a local first responder with the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department in order to learn new emergency response skills, however many of the lessons are also applicable to FirstNet's mission. The CDP is operated by the United States Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency and is the only federally chartered Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) training facility in the nation.

Various members of the FirstNet team have extensive backgrounds in the fire service, EMS, and law enforcement.  The CDP training leveraged those backgrounds to provide FirstNet staff with an increased understanding of the complexities of Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT) and WMD incidents.  These types of incidents are traditionally large, complex, and require significant communication and coordination. 

Our staff participated in HAZMAT sampling and identification, HAZMAT response options implementation, Incident Command System simulations, and communications exercises focused on ensuring data regarding HAZMAT incidents was transmitted from the scene to Incident Command, Emergency Operations Centers, PSAPs, and all other necessary parties.  All of these operations were completed side-by-side with public safety personnel and first responders from across the country, including firefighters from Washington D.C., EMTs from Chicago, police officers from Alabama, emergency managers from Washington State, and healthcare professionals from a Native American Tribe in Arizona.  Understanding the data needs and communications alternatives available during these types of incidents will help ensure FirstNet delivers the nationwide public safety broadband network (NPSBN) that public safety requires to respond to the worst and most complex incidents imaginable.

According to the CDP, “the CDP develops and delivers advanced training for emergency response providers, emergency managers, and other government officials from state, local, and tribal governments.  The CDP offers more than 40 training courses focusing on incident management, mass casualty response, and emergency response to a catastrophic natural disaster or terrorist act. Training at the CDP campus is federally funded at no cost to state, local, and tribal emergency response professionals or their agency.” For more information regarding the CDP and the training available there, please visit the CDP website at http://cdp.dhs.gov.

On a daily basis, FirstNet continues to work and consult with public safety officials in order to understand the complex and wide range of incidents the NPSBN will need to support and to provide the best possible solution to our nation’s first responders.

Thanks,
Zach