Emergency responders and others who want to brush up on their National Incident Management System Incident Command System (NIMS/ICS) training will find everything they need to create their own disasters in a DVD kit offered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The NIMS/ICS Simulation Exercise Program for Multi-Discipline Emergency Responders allows those NIMS/ICS-trained personnel to practice skills in a safe setting and train others. Although the training was designed with fire, police, and emergency health and management personnel in mind, public officials and businesses might also find it useful, according to a recent FEMA press release
The training kit including manuals, maps, PowerPoint presentations, and classroom handouts related to six disaster scenarios—including a marine disaster, an explosion and building collapse, a terrorist attack using Sarin gas, and a chemical explosion. Victim cards and incident command charts are included for simulation purposes.
The DVD training does not qualify participants for NIMS certification. For more information on NIMS certification, visit the FEMA NIMS training site. To request a copy of the DVD, e-mail FEMA.
Jolie Breeden is the lead editor and science communicator for Natural Hazards Center publications. She writes and edits for Research Counts; the Quick Response, Mitigation Matters, Public Health, and Weather Ready Research Award report series; as well as for special projects and publications. Breeden graduated summa cum laude from the University of Colorado Boulder with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.