The Center for Domestic Preparedness has been working hard the past two months to make more of its course material for responders available at a distance. The next step in that effort is providing a virtual instructor-led option for its well-known resident Evening Lecture Series.
The free lectures will be conducted by the same highly knowledgeable and experienced experts. The only difference is that responders can participate in these events from work, home, or any other location using a computer or compatible mobile device. A few minutes before the start time for an event, attendees simply need to click on or paste the link for a particular presentation into their web browser and, once the event page appears, type in their first and last name, and press ‘Join Room.’
Presentations are currently scheduled on seven topics:
- Hazmat and Decontamination during Storm Response – How it affects us all;
- Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) – We Need It More Than We Know;
- The Effective Use of Social and Traditional Media During Emergencies;
- Hospital Planning for Mass Casualty Incident Surges – How it affects us all;
- Psychological Preparedness for Responders – Operations and Disaster Response;
- Opioids in America – The Epidemic; Long Term Protests – Planning and Response; and,
- A Deadly Dose: Fentanyl, Opioids, and the First Responder.
Links and brief descriptions about each presentation can be found at https://cdp.dhs.gov/vilt.
CDP Assistant Director of Curriculum Development, Bernice Zaidel, said the CDP remains focused on meeting the training needs of responders, adding, “As we get more attuned to the needs of our students and what distance platforms are accessible to them, we will continue to expand these types of training opportunities.”
