Community Partnering: A Risk Assessment & Emergency Operations Planning Scenario [19]

This course, developed by the Upper Midwest Preparedness and Emergency Response Learning Center, provides guidance on the fundamentals of community-based planning, from contributing to a risk assessment to developing emergency operations plans (EOP) and engaging the whole community in addressing all risks and hazards. The course is intended for local public health administrators and local county emergency managers. Time estimated to complete is 1 hour.

 Ready or Not? A Family Preparedness Scenario [20]

This interactive, scenario-based course, developed by the Upper Midwest Preparedness and Emergency Response Learning Center, provides training in emergency preparedness for the families of first responders, focusing on protective actions families can take prior to a disaster. The course is intended for local public health administrators and local county emergency managers and takes 50 minutes or less to complete.

Emergency Planning for Local Public Health [21]

This course from the Harvard PERLC provides a foundation for local public health practitioners in emergency planning principles, and the integration of public health into the emergency planning process. This course has been created for local public health workers, and others who are interested in public health emergency response. It will introduce public health emergency planning issues, and describe public health roles and responsibilities during a disaster. Learning objectives will help to build skills so that the public health worker can ‘contribute expertise to the development of emergency plans which is competency 3.2 under Plan and Improve Practice. Course is estimated to take 50 minutes to complete.

Cultural Competency for Community Management of Special Needs Patients in Disaster [22]

This 4-contact-hour course was developed by the South Central Public Health Partnership. Acquiring awareness, skills and proficiency in cultural competency has become a critical element in enabling people, governments and institutions to deal with crises in a world with less homogeneity but greater diversity. The talents and insight of cultural competency can transform vulnerabilities in societal self-awareness and coordination into strengths of capability for planning and intervention. 

 Risk Assessment Tools: for Local Public Health [23] and Healthcare [24]
The Risk Assessment tools were developed in partnership between the Upper Midwest PERLC and the Iowa Department of Public Health. Iowa Local Public Health Agencies and Healthcare organizations completing their mandatory risk assessment should access the tool with IDPH's instructions. Others can access a general version of the tool in the LMS.

Strengthening Emergency Response through a Healthcare Coalition Toolkit [25]
This Advanced Practice Center toolkit, developed by Public Health-Seattle & King County with support from NACCHO, CDC, ASPR, and Homeland Security, can be used as a guide to support the development of a healthcare coalition, or as a topic-specific reference to complement existing health response planning in a community. It is designed as a framework, not a substitute, for the collaborative planning process that each health jurisdiction must undertake. This Toolkit provides a planning framework, tools and templates.

Meeting the Needs of Vulnerable Populations: Equity in Emergency Response [26]
The goal of this web-based toolkit, developed by the Seattle and King County Public Health Advanced Practice Center, is to provide tools and information to support local health departments (LHD) in working collaboratively with community partners to connect and communicate so that no one group is disproportionately affected in an emergency.

FEMA Continuity Planning Templates [27]
An organization’s continuity of operations plan documents the overarching strategy, policies, and procedures required to support its headquarters continuity of operations program. As the DHS entity for coordinating the Executive Branch continuity of operations program, National Continuity Programs (NCP) has developed detailed planning guidance and plan templates to help other federal and non-federal entities in their continuity planning.

Public Health Mutual Aid Agreements - A Menu of Suggested Provisions [28]
Developed by the CDC's Public Health Law Program, this document presents selected model memorandums of understanding to enhance coordination of preparedness across sectors.

Exercise Design with HSEEP [29]
This 3-day workshop provides participants an opportunity to review their Homeland Security Strategy and Multi-year Exercise Plan.  The Exercise Planning Workshops (EPW) facilitate the evaluation of, and updates to, existing emergency plans. This face-to-face training is offered periodically by Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

Moving Beyond HSEEP, Creating Well-Functioning Teams for Preparedness Response [30]
University of Minnesota Centers for Public Health Education and Outreach developed this comprehensive train-the-trainer package to be used by those who educate and conduct exercises involving public health department staff with emergency response roles. The intent of this training package is to improve team communications, functionality, efficiency and effectiveness by teaching and giving participants opportunities to practice key communication strategies and tools. It provides participants with basic knowledge about high reliability teams and organizations, as well as step-by-step functional exercise guidelines.

This tool can be used as initial training for staff with new response roles, new to the department, or as a refresher training. The package includes instructor materials (training content and script, instructor manual), student materials, debrief facilitation guidance, exercise packet, and pre- and post-training assessments. The training takes approximately 60-90 minutes to deliver and can be delivered in a classroom setting or via distance learning methods.

Public Health Emergency Exercise Toolkit: Planning, Designing, Conducting, and Evaluating Local Public Health Emergency Exercises [31]
This toolkit, from the Columbia University School of Nursing, is intended to guide local public health agency staff in (1) developing, implementing, and evaluating emergency drills and exercises, and (2) facilitating the public health aspects of larger, multiagency emergency exercise events. The toolkit provides essential guidance including templates, checklists, and forms to assist with every stage of the exercise process. Emphasis is on identification of objectives during the planning phase, a critical step for ensuring a meaningful postexercise evaluation. The information in this document is consistent with the approaches recommended by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of Domestic Preparedness (ODP) and the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP).

 CASPER Awareness Scenario [32]
This awareness-level course was developed by the Upper Midwest PERLC in partnership with the Iowa Department of Public Health. The goal of this course is to provide learners with a basic understanding of what a Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER) is and how it can be used following a disaster. The intended audience for this course is local public health administrators and local county emergency managers. The length of time for participants to take this course is estimated to be one hour.

 Responding to a Crisis: Managing Emotions and Stress Scenario [33]
This adaptive scenario from the Upper Midwest PERLC covers concepts of Psychological First Aid in responding to disasters. The user makes decisions about how to respond to the emotional needs of disaster victims and volunteers. This course is intended for the public health workforce, as well as anyone involved in post-disaster recovery. Because assessment is embedded within the trainings, the user receives only need-based training as indicated by responses to the scenario. Course takes 20 - 60 minutes to complete, depending on how much training is needed.

 Effect of Disasters on Mental Health: Awareness Level [34]
Developed by the Upper Midwest PERLC, this course is intended for anyone who will come into professional contact with disaster victims, including DMAT, hospital workers, EMTs, primary care providers and public health workers. There are three modules in this course: Module 1: Disaster, Trauma and Proximity to the Event Module 2: Psycho-Physiology of Trauma and Fear Module 3: Tools for Understanding

 Effect of Disasters on Mental Health: Technical Level [35]
Developed by the Upper Midwest PERLC, this course is intended for anyone who will come into professional contact with disaster victims, including DMAT, hospital workers, EMTs, primary care providers and public health workers. In addition to providing general knowledge, this course emphasizes two practical skills: administering psychological first aid to disaster victims in the immediate aftermath of a disaster, and screening disaster victims for common mental health disorders in the months that follow.

 Effect of Disasters on Mental Health for Children and Adolescents [36]
Developed by the Upper Midwest PERLC, this course is intended for anyone who will come into professional contact with disaster victims who are children or adolescents, including DMAT, hospital workers, EMTs, primary care providers and public health workers. In addition to providing general knowledge of how disaster trauma effects this particular population, this course emphasizes practical skills: administering psychological first aid to children and adolescents in the immediate aftermath of a disaster, screening them for mental health disorders in the months that follow, and involving parents and other caregivers throughout the process.

 Community Partnering: A Risk Assessment and Emergency Operations Planning Scenario [19]
This course, developed by UMPERLC, provides guidance on the fundamentals of community-based planning, from contributing to a risk assessment to developing emergency operations plans (EOP) and engaging the whole community in addressing all risks and hazards. The course is intended for local public health administrators and local county emergency managers. It takes an hour or less to complete.

IS-546.A: Continuity of Operations Awareness Course [37]
This FEMA course introduces students to the concept of continuity planning. The course provides a brief overview of continuity, the legal basis for continuity planning, the Continuity Program Management Cycle, and essential elements of a viable continuity program. The course is useful to Federal, State, County, local, territorial, and tribal governments.

Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER) Toolkit [38]
The Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects, Health Studies Branch (DEHHE/HSB) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has developed the Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER) toolkit to assist personnel from any local, regional, state, or federal public health departments in conducting the CASPER during disaster. One of the main objectives in developing this toolkit is to standardize the assessment procedures focusing on United States disaster response. The CASPER toolkit provides guidelines on data collection tool development, methodology, sample selection, training, data collection, analysis, and report writing.

Rural Disaster Resilience Planning Guide [39]
Disasters can and do happen. Small, rural, remote and coastal communities have been affected by hurricanes, wildfires, water contamination and an assortment of other hazards. Resource-based jobs have often disappeared and families have moved to larger urban centres. Some communities have slowly disappeared while others have flourished. What makes the difference? Why are some communities more resilient to disasters and change? How can you help your community survive and prosper? The Rural Disaster Resilience Planning (RDRP) approach has been designed with rural communities in mind. The RDRP process includes a user-friendly guide provided by the Justice Institute of British Columbia (Canada) to help you work through the various steps to increase resiliency in your community.

Continuity of Operations Plan Template and Instructions [40]
This template from National Disaster Recovery Framework provides instructions, guidance, and sample text for the development of continuity plans and programs in accordance with Federal Continuity Directives (FCDs) 1 and 2 for the Federal executive branch. Continuity planning facilitates the performance of executive branch essential functions during all-hazards emergencies or other situations that may disrupt normal operations.

National Disaster Recovery Framework [41]
The National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF) from FEMA is a guide to promote effective recovery, particularly from catastrophic incidents. The NDRF provides guidance that enables effective recovery support. It provides a flexible structure that enables disaster recovery managers to operate in a unified and collaborative manner. It also focuses on how best build a more resilient Nation.

After Action Report Improvment Plan Document [42]
The After-Action Report/Improvement Plan (AAR/IP) aligns exercise objectives with preparedness doctrine to include the National Preparedness Goal and related frameworks and guidance.  Exercise information required for preparedness reporting and trend analysis is included; users are encouraged to add additional sections as needed to support their own organizational needs.

Long-Term Community Recovery Planning Process: A Self-Help Guide [43]
The FEMA Long-Term Community Recovery (LTCR) Self-Help Guide is intended to provide state, tribal and local governments with a framework for implementing their own long-term community recovery planning process after a significant disaster event. It is assumed that any state, tribal, or local government undertaking a LTCR Self-Help program will have qualified staff to manage the planning process.

Sustaining Critical Services - Continuity of Operations: A Toolkit for Public Health [44]
This Advanced Practice Center toolkit from Seattle & King County Public Health is intended for health departments who have written a continuity of operations or business continuity plan, but have not developed the detailed procesdures to implement it, or lack substantial experiene putting those plans and procedures into action. The tools are applicable to health departments of any size or scope of services.

National Planning Scenarios [45]
The Federal interagency community has developed 15 all-hazards planning scenarios (the National Planning Scenarios or Scenarios) for use in national, Federal, State, and local homeland security preparedness activities. The Scenarios are planning tools and are representative of the range of potential terrorist attacks and natural disasters and the related impacts that face our nation. The objective was to develop a minimum number of credible scenarios in order to establish the range of response requirements to facilitate preparedness planning. 

 Community Partnering: A Risk Assessment & Emergency Operations Planning Scenario [19]
This course, developed by the Upper Midwest Preparedness and Emergency Response Learning Center, provides guidance on the fundamentals of community-based planning, from contributing to a risk assessment to developing emergency operations plans (EOP) and engaging the whole community in addressing all risks and hazards. The course is intended for local public health administrators and local county emergency managers. Time estimated to complete is 1 hour.

IS-700.a: Introduction to the National Incident Management System (NIMS) [46]
This course introduces and overviews the National Incident Management System (NIMS). NIMS provides a consistent nationwide template to enable all government, private-sector, and nongovernmental organizations to work together during domestic incidents.

IS-704 NIMS Communications and Information Management [47]
This interactive computer-based course introduces you to the Communications and Information Management component of the National Incident Management System (NIMS). NIMS provides a consistent nationwide template to enable all government, private-sector, and nongovernmental organizations to work together during domestic incidents. Effective emergency management and incident response activities rely on flexible communications and information systems that provide a common operating picture to emergency management/response personnel and their affiliated organizations. Establishing and maintaining a common operating picture and ensuring accessibility and interoperability are the principal goals of the Communications and Information Management component of NIMS. Properly planned, established, and applied communications enable the dissemination of information among command and support elements and, as appropriate, cooperating agencies and organizations.

Building a Continuity of Operations Plan Tip Sheet [48]
This Ready Tip sheet developed by the Advanced Practice Centers includes advice on Identifying and Prioritizing Critical Health Services and 10 Tips for Local Health Departments to Simplify the COOP Process.
 
Public Health Mutual Aid Agreements  [49]
The Cambridge Advanced Practice Center for Emergency Preparedness has developed materials to assist local health departments in creating public health mutual aid agreements. These materials have been used to develop and implement a public health mutual aid agreement in a 27-community region in Massachusetts. The materials include 5 PDF documents that can help local health departments begin the process of creating jurisdiction appropriate mutual aid agreements: Public Health Mutual Aid Agreement: A Template Explanation of a Public Health Mutual Aid Agreement Scenarios for Use of a Public Health Mutual Aid Agreement Frequently Asked Questions: Public Health Mutual Aid A Public Health Mutual Aid Agreement: White Paper

Disaster in Franklin County: A Public Health Simulation [50]
This simulation, developed by University of Minnesota Center for Public Health Education and Outreach, consists of 14 chapters occurring over the first 30 days following a severe storm striking the fictional community of Franklin County. In this simulation, which takes approximately 45 minutes to complete, the learner will assume the perspective of various public health professionals responding to a natural disaster. They will make decisions on behalf of a county public health director, a public health nurse, an environmental health specialist, and other public health professionals. By approaching the emerging public health issues from these perspectives, the players gain a deeper understanding of the issues at hand, the decisions that colleagues in other disciplines face, and how those decisions impact his or her area of expertise.

Conducting a BT- Table Top: A How-To Guide [51]
The purpose of Conducting a BT-Table Top: A “how-to” guide is to provide state and local public health entities with information and guidance on the key ingredients to consider when developing and facilitating a tabletop exercise. Tabletop exercises are one of the strategies that the public health workforce can use to convene and engage their community partners. The guide was developed by DeKalb County Board of Health’s Center for Public Health Preparedness.

IS-522: Exercising Continuity Plans for Pandemics [52]
This course, from FEMA Emergency Management Institute, is based on the pandemic continuity tabletop exercise Determined Accord. The course covers fundamental continuity principles and processes but is focused on the special continuity requirements for pandemics. Strategies such as telework and other social distancing strategies are described as well as special protection strategies for first responders, healthcare personnel, and others who have daily contact with the public. The flexible delivery version of this course includes the Determined Accord tabletop exercise based on the recent H1N1 pandemic. In this online version, students watch a discussion among first responders and respond to related questions.

 Don't Panic: Principles of Crisis and Risk Communication Scenario [53]
This interative scenario, developed by UMPERLC, provides training in the principles of crisis and risk communication during a response for public health emergency. This scenario is intended for health practitioners who need to increase their ability to effectively communicate with the public, media, health care providers and response community during a public health emergency. Estimated time to complete is one hour.

National Incident Management System (IS-701.a) [54]
This FEMA course introduces Multiagency Coordination (MAC) Systems as described in the National Incident Management System (NIMS), and shows how these systems can be used to improve incident response. After taking this course, you should be able to improve the overall coordination with, and support for, incident management by developing and operating within Multiagency Coordination Systems. Estimated time for completion is two hours.

S-29: Public Information Officer Awareness [55]
The goal of this awareness course is to provide an orientation to the public information function and the role of the Public Information Officer (PIO) in the public safety/emergency management environment. Topics addressed include: understanding the PIO role, using tools and resources, communicating effectively, preparing the community, and communicating in an incident.

Emergency Dark Site: A Toolkit on How to Build, Use, and Maintain a Dark Site for Public Health Emergencies [61]
This toolkit, from the Santa Clara County Advanced Practice Center, is intended to serve local health departments in setting up a public health department emergency dark site -- a static Web page used to post critical public health emergency messages when a server goes down. 
 
Get Ready for Call Center Surge: A Toolkit for Local Health Departments [62]
Develop or enhance existing resources and partnerships to increase call center capacity and improve the effectiveness of phone-based emergency communications with the public. This Advanced Practice Center toolkit was developed by  with a focus on rural and suburban settings.
 
Risk Communication in Rural Settings [63]
Developed by Ware County Board of Health (An Advanced Practice Center mini-site), Risk Communicating Resources for Rural Areas is a toolkit to help rural public health departments communicate their message to the community during an emergency or disaster. The goal of this toolkit is to put comprehensive, accessible, and ready-to-use materials in the hands of local health departments. The tool contains information on the following topics: Communicating during a natural event, Communicating during a biological event, Communicating during a chemical event, Communicating during a radiological event, Communicating during a mass vaccination/medical event, How to have a Joint Information Center in your community, and Non-traditional ways to communicate. Now includes: Social Media Templates.
 
Staff Allocation Decision Guide [64]
This tool, from NACCHO Advanced Practice Center, Multnomah County Health Department, guides an experienced Local Health Department (LHD) administrator or Incident Commander (IC) through decision-making processes to allocate staff between two major types of public health operations both in advance of, and during, a public health emergency. The tool applies to any incident calling for both disease investigation and prophylaxis operations.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Community Connectors Program [65] 
The Community Connectors program is a model for how emergency response planners can develop relationships and open lines of communication with diverse members of their community prior to an emergency. Multnomah County Health Department (in Oregon) used an internal resource to conduct this program: staff who had already established relationships with an underserved community and were willing to strengthen the relationship between the community and the health department. The main role of Community Connectors is to support public information and risk communication measures under the director of the Public Information Officer (PIO). Materials include an exercise script and player guide.

 Responding to a Crisis: Managing Emotions and Stress Scenario [33]
This adaptive scenario covers concepts of Psychological First Aid in responding to disasters. The user makes decisions about how to respond to the emotional needs of disaster victims and volunteers. This course is intended for the public health workforce, as well as anyone involved in post-disaster recovery. Because the training is an adaptive scenario, with an embedded training needs assessment, the user will only receive training based on what he or she doesn't know.

 Volunteer Training: Stress Management [66]   
A disaster is a traumatic event for members of the affected community, and can have a negative impact on mental health. It is not only victims who can suffer from traumatic stress. Emergency responders can suffer from it as well. It is vital for individuals involved in the emergency response to manage their stress to whatever degree possible, in order to maintain the safety of themselves and others as they carry out their duties during the event, perform their duties effectively, and to minimize the risk of developing any long-term psychological problems after the event. The goal of this 15-minute training course is to explain how a traumatic event effects people, familiarize you with the symptoms of traumatic stress, both during the event and afterwards, and to provide you with methods to manage your stress, on-site, immediately after the event, and once you return to your everyday life.

 Effect of Disasters on Mental Health: Awareness Level [34]   
This course is intended for anyone who will come into professional contact with disaster victims, including DMAT, hospital workers, EMTs, primary care providers and public health workers. There are three modules in this course: Module 1: Disaster, Trauma and Proximity to the Event, Module 2: Psycho-Physiology of Trauma and Fear, and Module 3: Tools for Understanding.

 Effect of Disasters on Mental Health: Technical Level [35]   
This course is intended for anyone who will come into professional contact with disaster victims, including DMAT, hospital workers, EMTs, primary care providers and public health workers. In addition to providing general knowledge, this course emphasizes two practical skills: administering psychological first aid to disaster victims in the immediate aftermath of a disaster, and screening disaster victims for common mental health disorders in the months that follow. There are three modules in this course: Module 1: Assessment and Intervention in the Immediate Aftermath of a Disaster Module, 2: Assessment and Intervention in the Weeks/Months after the Disaster, and Module 3: Cultural Awareness. 

 Effect of Disasters on Mental Health for Children and Adolescents [36]
This course is intended for anyone who will come into professional contact with disaster victims who are children or adolescents, including DMAT, hospital worksers, EMTs, primary care providers, and public health workers. In addition to providing general knowledge of how disaster trauma affects this particular population, this course emphasizes practical skills: administering psychological first aid to children and adolescents in the immediatet aftermather of a disaster, screening them for mental health disorders in the months that follow, and involving parents and other caregivers throughout the process.

IS-360: Preparing for Mass Casualty Incidents: A Guide for Schools, Higher Education, and Houses of Worship [67]
This FEMA course provides leading practices and resources to assist elementary and secondary schools, institutions of higher education, and houses of worship in developing emergency plans for preparing for, responding to, and recovering from mass casualty incidents.

Mass Fatalities: Public Health Emergency Training Module [68]
This is one of nine awareness-level online modules, developed by the University of Minnesota in the UM PHET series, that cover critical topics related to emergency preparedness. The Mass Fatalities module defines mass fatalities incidents, describes the operational sites and roles involved in responses to these types of disasters, and identifies key issues related to planning and implementing response efforts. The module, additional information and learning objectives are available at http://cpheo.sph.umn.edu/cpheo/umncphp/phet.html [69]. This module takes between 20-40 minutes to complete.

Creating and Operating a Family Assistance Center: A Toolkit for Public Health [70]
This Advanced Practice Center toolkit, developed by Seattle and King County Public Health, gives you a framework for you and your team to plan and operate a Family Assistance Center (FAC) during a mass-casualty or mass-fatality incident. It is intended to serve as a resource to help you develop a plan for family assistance services that can be applied to all hazards. The goals of this toolkit are to help you: understand the context and rationale for operating FACs during mass-casualty or mass-fatality incidents; identify the principles that should guide the operations of a FAC; and develop a plan for a FAC, including strategies for addressing the behavioral health needs of families.
 
Managing Mass Fatalities: A Toolkit for Planning [71]
This comprehensive toolkit, from Santa Clara Advanced Practice Center, evolved from recognition of the need for communities to increase their preparedness for managing mass fatalities. Its focus—the care and management of the dead—is one of the most difficult aspects of disaster response and recovery operations. Toolkit materials are based on lessons learned from actual events, including the Oklahoma City bombing, 9/11, and Hurricane Katrina. The toolkit provides scalable, operational direction and tools to guide jurisdictions in creating a local plan. Highlights include: Identification of stakeholders involved in mass fatality management and recommendations for a planning process that is co-led by public health and the medical examiner/coroners office; Specific guidelines for all medical examiner/coroner responsibilities at the incident site, morgue, and family assistance center Guidance on infection and other health and safety threats; and Requirements and recommendations for managing mass fatalities during a worst-case scenario pandemic influenza.

 Don't Panic: Principles of Crisis and Risk Communication Scenario [53]
This interactive scenario, developed by UMPERLC, provides training in the principles of crisis and risk communication during a response for a public health emergency. This scenario is intended for health practitioners who wish to improve their ability to effectively communicate with the public, media, health care providers, and response community during a public health emergency. Estimated time to complete is one hour.
 
Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication for Health Educators - Part A: Recognizing Reactions [72]
Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication for Health Educators, Part B: Understanding Your Role as a Health Educator [73]
Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication for Health Educators - Part C: Communicating the Message [74]
This series of short courses, from the Harvard PERLC, are designed to present the participant with information on risk communication during emergency situations with a particular emphasis on how an health educator can play an integral role in effectively communicating health messages or preventive measures during a crisis, and what challenges she/he may face. Learning objectives focus on ‘using principles of crisis and risk communication,’ which is competency 2.2 under Communicate and Manage Information. Total time to complete all three courses is one hour.
 

 
HSEEP Template for Discussion of Capability 6: Information Sharing [75]
A template for assessing the sharing of information among stakeholders in an exercise involving Public Health Preparedness and Hospital Preparedness.
 
 
CDC’s Public Health Information Network [76]
CDC.gov is CDC's primary online communication channel. Annually, there are close to 500 million page views to the site, averaging 41 million page views per month.
 
 
Public Health Mutual Aid Agreements [49]
This FAQ document, from Cambridge Advanced Practice Center and revised by the San Francisco Bay Area Advanced Practice Center, explains public health mutual aid agreements and scenarios for their use.
 
 
Mutual Aid Agreement Template [77]
A template for drafting mutual aid agreements from the Cambridge Advanced Practice Center.
 
 
The Iowa Statewide Interoperable Communications System Board (ISICSB) [78]
ISICSB develops, implements, and oversees policy, operations and fiscal components of communication interoperability efforts at the state and local level. The board hosts a series of 1-day workshops to expand its program.
 
 

Planning and Implementing a Public Health Exercise for Radiological Events: An Exercise Guide [79]
This exercise guide is a rich resource tool utilizing tools previously developed by the Tarrant County APC to provide guidance on performing a public health-focused radiological exercise. The document distills key information from a variety of authoritative sources, to be used as a process guide for local health departments to perform one of the most critical but often neglected aspects of public health readiness: the operations-based or test exercise for an incident involving radioactive agents such as a radioactive dispersion device or so-called “dirty bomb.”  The guide contains numerous links to planning and training resources from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the US Department of Homeland Security, and Department of Energy websites.  The CD also contains a 17 minute video overview of a major field functional exercise performed in November 2004 involving a simulated dirty bomb at a major NASCAR facility, the Texas Motor Speedway.  This CD should be used as a didactic piece along with the DVD, “Designing, Implementing, and Evaluating a Public Health Exercise – A Dirty Bomb Disaster.”  The CD covers additional operational considerations in performing a radiological exercise.

Mass Triage Interactive Training: A Short Course [80]
This train-the-trainer toolkit, from the Tarrant County Advanced Practice Center, provides refresher and just-in-time training in triage methods for public health and healthcare providers responding to mass casualty incidents involving hazardous agents. It is based on the National Disaster Life Support Foundation (NDLSF) Decon training: a two-day training course offered by the NDLSF National Training Center at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, TX. The CD also provides a training overview for educators on two other triage methods, SACCO and START.

IS-806: Emergency Support Function (ESF) #6 - Mass Care, Emergency Assistance, Housing, and Human Services [81]
The National Response Framework (NRF) presents the guiding principles that enable all response partners to prepare for and provide a unified national response to disasters and emergencies – from the smallest incident to the largest catastrophe. As part of the NRF, Emergency Support Functions (ESFs) are primary mechanisms at the operational level used to organize and provide assistance. This series of courses provides an overview of each of the 14 ESFs. This course introduces Emergency Support Function (ESF) #6 – Mass Care, Emergency Assistance, Housing, and Human Services. This course is part of FEMA's Emergency Management Institute Independent Study Program.

Mass Casualty Incident Triage [82]
This course from the South Central Public Health Partnership is intended for pre-hospital care providers and firefighters who may be called on to respond to a mass casualty incident resulting when a large numbers of victims are injured or exposed to hazardous materials or WMD agents. The course will prepare trainees to use the Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment (START) system, Incident Management System (IMS) and the FEMA Job-Aid in order to respond with maximum effectiveness to a mass casualty event. Previous training of trainees may range from Firefighter/ First Responder and/or EMT-Basic to Paramedic.

Mass Gatherings: Are You Prepared? [83]
Food poisoning at the fair, rabies exposure at the rodeo, crowd trampling at a World Cup game: what is the role of public health at events that attract large crowds? This module will teach you to assess and plan for the prevention and mitigation of public health threats at mass gatherings. It covers topics of risk assessment, surveillance, health response, coordination, and communication. This 90-minute module can be completed over several shorter sessions. It also includes a unique practice scenario to further enhance your learning.  This course is co-sponsored by the Northwest Center for Public Health Practice and the University of Washington College of Nursing.

Medical Mass Care During an Influenza Pandemic: Guide & Toolkit for Establishing Care Centers [84]
This toolkit from the County of Santa Clara Advanced Practice Center serves as a resource for local public health departments to develop plans for medical mass care. The toolkit provides scalable, operational direction and tools for the establishment of alternative care sites, i.e. Influenza Care Centers (ICC) to meet the health care needs of patients requiring hospital care who are not able to receive such care at one of the local hospitals. Although the guide focuses on pandemic influenza, the approaches described and the tools provided can be adapted for other medical-health emergencies and hazards requiring medical mass care.

Public Health Emergency Exercise Toolkit [85]
This toolkit, from the Columbia University School of Nursing, is intended to guide local public health agency staff in (1) developing, implementing, and evaluating emergency drills and exercises, and (2) facilitating the public health aspects of larger, multiagency emergency exercise events. The toolkit provides essential guidance including templates, checklists, and forms to assist with every stage of the exercise process. Emphasis is on identification of objectives during the planning phase, a critical step for ensuring a meaningful postexercise evaluation. The information in this document is consistent with the approaches recommended by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of Domestic Preparedness (ODP) and the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP).

Designing, Implementing, and Evaluating a Public Health Exercise—A Dirty Bomb Disaster [86]
This interactive training course from the Tarrant County Advanced Practice Center assists public health and emergency management professionals in designing and conducting a full-scale disaster exercise. Video footage details Tarrant County's full-scale dirty bomb disaster drill, which was conducted in Texas during November 2004. This tool also includes an interactive training manual and a lecture series focused on the design and evaluation components of a public health exercise.

PODs (Points of Dispensing): Public Health Training for Staff and Volunteers [87]
This 30-minute training from University of Minnesota Centers for Public Health Education and Outreach is designed to provide an overview and orientation to the general operations of a POD. It is intended to complement just-in-time training provided at the time of deployment. Public health staff and volunteers may find this training beneficial. Participants are eligible to receive a certificate upon completion of the training, which includes a pre-test, post-test, and evaluation.

Medical Countermeasures (Basics of Public Health Preparedness, Module 4) [88]
This module, developed by the UNC Preparedness and Emergency Response Learning Center (UNC PERLC), is part of a training series for local public health preparedness staff. It provides a definition of medical countermeasure management (MCM) including a list of triggers for their use, a description of the strategic national stockpile, a discussion of distribution/dispensing and planning for the use of MCM. These learning modules are applicable to all public health, medical, veterinary, pharmacy, emergency management, hospital and other professionals interested in public health preparedness. These modules are created by faculty and guest lecturers at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health.

Partnering for Medical Countermeasure Distribution in Emergencies Toolkit [89] 
Providing antibiotics, antivirals, vaccines, and other supplies effectively during emergencies requires coordinated public-private collaboration. Northwest Center for Public Health Preparedness developed this toolkit to help public health agencies accomplish this by partnering with hospitals, long-term care facilities, and pharmacies when the need arises. The toolkit includes multiple formats of documents, videos, and slide sets that can be modified to meet your needs during a variety of disasters. Included in the toolkit are: a webinar on creating strong partnerships with pharmacies, templates and discussion materials to help agencies engage community partners, and education resources on dispensing medical countermeasures.

Developing Effective and Sustainable Medication Dispensing Strategies [90]
This toolkit has been created for local health departments (LHDs) to show how CDTAs can be developed for emergency events. The Collaborative Drug Therapy Agreement Toolkit was developed as a joint effort between Seattle & King County Advanced Practice Center, Public Health—Seattle & King County, the Northwest Center for Public Health Practice, the Washington State Pharmacy Association, and the Washington State Board of Pharmacy.

Mass Prophylaxis: Point of Dispensing Field Operations Guide [91]
The purpose of this document, from Washington State Region IV Public Health, is to provide a standardized mass prophylaxis point of dispensing (POD) field operating guide (FOG). It describes how to set up and manage points of dispensing (PODs) or mass prophylaxis centers that are scalable, adaptable in the field, and meet the CDC Division of Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) guidance standards.

Radiation Emergency: Medical Management Countermeasures [92]
CDC Fact sheets on the four drugs specifically designated for us in a radiation emergency, and a table of countermeasures for treatment of radiation contamination.

Inclusive Just-in-Time Training for Mass Prophylaxis/POD Operations [93]
This toolkit from the Multnomah County Advanced Practice Center is designed to support individuals responding to a public health emergency. Its approach to training is aligned with best practice from the field of adult learning theory. This toolkit is designed to be adaptable to the changing environment of an emergency response and includes tips on how to integrate I-JITT into a local response, whether training lasts five minutes or an hour.

OTP Earthquake Tabletop Exercise [94]
From CIDRAP: Patients who cannot access their designated opioid treatment center during a disaster could begin experiencing withdrawal symptoms, or worse, could relapse. With support from the King County Healthcare Coalition, stakeholders in King County, Washington, formed partnerships, created tools, and challenged the region's capacity to ensure continuity of care for such patients. The effort involved 14 months of quarterly stakeholder workgroup meetings, a multisector tabletop exercise, clarified roles, and formalized agreement on how to dispense medication during disasters. Downloadable tools include Tabletop Exercise, After Action Report and Improvement Plan, and more.

National Planning Scenarios [95]
The Federal interagency community has developed 15 all-hazards planning scenarios (the National Planning Scenarios or Scenarios) for use in national, Federal, State, and local homeland security preparedness activities. The Scenarios are planning tools and are representative of the range of potential terrorist attacks and natural disasters and the related impacts that face our nation. The objective was to develop a minimum number of credible scenarios in order to establish the range of response requirements to facilitate preparedness planning. 

Emergency Distribution of Pharmaceuticals [96]
During an emergency, public health workers may be called upon to help dispense medicine or medical supplies. Find out what is involved in the process of mass dispensing of medications, vaccines, or other medical supplies. This training from the Northwest Center for Public Health Practice outlines situations in which mass dispensing is necessary, and discusses the logistics of providing medications to large populations.

IS-26: Guide to Points of Distribution [97]
This FEMA training was developed to support the Points of Distribution (POD) overview video and provide an in depth look into the planning, operations, and demobilization stages of a POD mission. The lessons detail the staffing and procedures any state will need to plan for, execute, and shut down POD operations. The guide also includes key lessons such as safety, equipment, and resource accountability and informs the reader about the “Adopt a POD” program being used by the state of Washington. Estimated course length is 4 hours and it provides 0.4 CEUs.

 
Partnering for Medical Countermeasure Distribution in Emergencies Toolkit [89] 
Providing antibiotics, antivirals, vaccines, and other supplies effectively during emergencies requires coordinated public-private collaboration. Northwest Center for Public Health Preparedness developed this toolkit to help public health agencies accomplish this by partnering with hospitals, long-term care facilities, and pharmacies when the need arises. The toolkit includes multiple formats of documents, videos, and slide sets that can be modified to meet your needs during a variety of disasters. Included in the toolkit are: a webinar on creating strong partnerships with pharmacies, templates and discussion materials to help agencies engage community partners, and education resources on dispensing medical countermeasures.
 
Developing Effective and Sustainable Medication Dispensing Strategies [90]
This toolkit has been created for local health departments (LHDs) to show how CDTAs can be developed for emergency events. The Collaborative Drug Therapy Agreement Toolkit was developed as a joint effort between Seattle & King County Advanced Practice Center, Public Health—Seattle & King County, the Northwest Center for Public Health Practice, the Washington State Pharmacy Association, and the Washington State Board of Pharmacy.
 
Mass Prophylaxis: Point of Dispensing Field Operations Guide [91]
The purpose of this document, from Washington State Region IV Public Health, is to provide a standardized mass prophylaxis point of dispensing (POD) field operating guide (FOG). It describes how to set up and manage points of dispensing (PODs) or mass prophylaxis centers that are scalable, adaptable in the field, and meet the CDC Division of Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) guidance standards.
 
Inclusive Just-in-Time Training for Mass Prophylaxis/POD Operations [93]
This toolkit from the Multnomah County Advanced Practice Center is designed to support individuals responding to a public health emergency. Its approach to training is aligned with best practice from the field of adult learning theory. This toolkit is designed to be adaptable to the changing environment of an emergency response and includes tips on how to integrate I-JITT into a local response, whether training lasts five minutes or an hour.

National Planning Scenarios [45]
The Federal interagency community has developed 15 all-hazards planning scenarios (the National Planning Scenarios or Scenarios) for use in national, Federal, State, and local homeland security preparedness activities. The Scenarios are planning tools and are representative of the range of potential terrorist attacks and natural disasters and the related impacts that face our nation. The objective was to develop a minimum number of credible scenarios in order to establish the range of response requirements to facilitate preparedness planning. 

Managing Surge Response and Workforce Activation [98]
This toolkit was designed by Seattle & King County Advanced Practice Center as a guide, not a substitute, for the collaborative planning process that each health jurisdiction must undertake. The planning process, embedded in your local context, is necessary to develop a plan. Your team may add or eliminate sections of the process that will best fit the planning needs of your jurisdiction. The purpose of the toolkit is to help your jurisdiction save time during your planning process by suggesting a planning framework.

A Prescription for Preparedness: An Online Community for Local Health Departments and Pharmacists to Help Ready America for Emergencies [99]
Rx4Prep is an interactive, educational website from the Montgomery County Advanced Practice Center to help local health departments obtain information about collaborating with pharmacies and connect with other users. The focus is on reaching out to pharmacists to ensure that they are included in policy decisions and emergency planning, and to seek their input on the pharmaceutical needs of vulnerable populations.

Medical Surge Capacity Handbook [100]
The Medical Surge Capacity and Capability (MSCC) Management System describes a management methodology based on valid principles of emergency management and the Incident Command System (ICS). Medical and public health disciplines may apply these principles to coordinate effectively with one another, and to integrate with other response organizations. The MSCC Management System emphasizes responsibility rather than authority alone for assigning key response functions and advocates a management-by-objectives approach. Provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Coordinating Call Centers for Responding to Pandemic Influenza and Other Public Health Emergencies [101]
This workbook was designed by CDC's Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion to assist local and tribal jurisdictions and non-governmental organizations in developing an effective emergency response capability

Medical Mass Care During an Influenza Pandemic: Guide & Toolkit for Establishing Care Centers [84]
This toolkit from the County of Santa Clara Advanced Practice Center serves as a resource for local public health departments to develop plans for medical mass care. The toolkit provides scalable, operational direction and tools for the establishment of alternative care sites, i.e. Influenza Care Centers (ICC) to meet the health care needs of patients requiring hospital care who are not able to receive such care at one of the local hospitals. Although the guide focuses on pandemic influenza, the approaches described and the tools provided can be adapted for other medical-health emergencies and hazards requiring medical mass care.

Blueprint for the Use of Volunteers in Hospitals and Rural Medical Centers [102]
This toolkit was developed by the Mesa County Advanced Practice Center to help hospitals and public health agencies integrate volunteer support into hospital inpatient, emergency department, and incident response operations through deployment of "Just-in-time" training (JITT) and exercise curricula.

Emergency Exercise Toolkit for Medical Surge [103]
From CIDRAP: The combined efforts of the Chicago Department of Public Health and the Chicago Health System Coalition for Preparedness and Response produced a toolkit to introduce Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) policy and guidance in a usable format for hospitals and health facilities. The step-by-step process in the toolkit is intended to help hospitals design, implement, and evaluate emergency exercises for health facilities following the HSEEP format. Downloadable tools include table top exercise guides, master scenarios, exercise evaluation guides, and more.

National Planning Scenarios [45]
The Federal interagency community has developed 15 all-hazards planning scenarios (the National Planning Scenarios or Scenarios) for use in national, Federal, State, and local homeland security preparedness activities. The Scenarios are planning tools and are representative of the range of potential terrorist attacks and natural disasters and the related impacts that face our nation. The objective was to develop a minimum number of credible scenarios in order to establish the range of response requirements to facilitate preparedness planning. 

Isolation and Quarantine: Public Health Emergency Training Module [104]
This is one of nine awareness-level online modules, developed by the University of Minnesota Center for Public Health Preparedness in the UM PHET series, that cover critical topics related to emergency preparedness. This module takes between 20-40 minutes to complete.  This training examines the concepts and history of isolation and quarantine, and explains when and how these restrictions are used in a public health context. Participants are eligible to receive up to .05 CEUs .5 contact hours for completion of training including pre-test, post test and evaluation. Learning Objectives - at the conclusion of this training, participants will be able to: Define and distinguish between isolation and quarantine; Explain the history of isolation and quarantine; Describe the requirements of local, state, tribal and federal agencies; Follow state-level procedures for isolation and quarantine. This project was developed by the University of Minnesota Center for Public Health Preparedness.

Decontomination: Public Health Emergency Training Module [105]
This is one of nine awareness-level online modules, developed by the University of Minnesota Center for Public Health Preparedness in the UM PHET series, that cover critical topics related to emergency preparedness. This module takes between 20-40 minutes to complete. This training describes decontamination methods and equipment, and identifies basic principles, standards and regulations for decontamination operations. Participants are eligible to receive up to .05 CEUs or .5 contact hours for completion of training including pre-test, post test and evaluation. Learning Objectives - at the conclusion of this training, participants will be able to: Describe the purpose of decontamination; Identify the standards regulating decontamination; Describe the basic equipment used for decontamination; Distinguish between emergency and technical decontamination; Explain the process for decontamination in emergencies; Prioritize patients for decontamination.

Isolation and Quarantine as a Strategy for a Response to a Public Health Emergency [106]
Isolation and quarantine are traditional tools in containment of infectious disease of contaminated individuals. This training from the TECS-Preparedness and Emergency Response Learning Center provides an overview of the use of isolation and quarantine in order to prevent and control the spread of disease. This eLearning course should take approximately one hour to complete.

Isolation & Quarantine Response Planning Toolkit [107]
In the absence of rapid and definitive diagnostic tests, vaccines, or cures, isolation and quarantine remains Public Health's best strategy against the spread of mass illness. Seattle & King County Public Health is an Advanced Practice Center for Emergency Preparedness and established this Planning for Isolation & Quarantine Response Web Toolkit to support local Public Health jurisdictions in their efforts to plan for and manage a local isolation and quarantine response. The Toolkit is designed primarily for local and county and is separated by topic for the ease of use and navigation.

Virtual Community Reception Center [108]
Following a mass casualty radiation emergency, public health professionals will play a crucial role in assessing and monitoring people potentially exposed to radiation or contaminated with radioactive material. This process, called population monitoring, will be conducted in community reception centers (CRCs). Virtual Community Reception Center (vCRC) is a web-based training tool that provides an overview of the CRC process for planners, managers, and potential CRC staff. vCRC is a self-paced program from the CDC that uses a simulated 3-D environment, embedded video segments, an interactive process flow diagram, and customizable supporting resources to deliver a unique training experience for all users.

Radiological Screening and Decontamination Exercise [109]
From the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP):  In the summer of 2011, the Florida Department of Health held a community reception center exercise to test its capacity to respond to a radiological emergency. Years of training responders, purchasing specialized equipment, and developing partnerships led to a successful exercise of such skills as screening and dosimetry, decontamination, and medical triage. State and local health departments across the country have been planning to address radiological threats, whether accidental (eg, incidents at nearby nuclear power plants) or man made (eg, radiological dispersal devices or "dirty bombs"). Following a radiological incident, public health agencies will monitor the affected population for contamination in community reception centers (CRCs). While falling under the purview of public health or emergency management agencies, radiological preparedness is an interdisciplinary endeavor, requiring expertise from industry and the physical/environmental sciences. Downloadable tools include: CRC Form, After-Action Report, and Improvement Plan Matrix.

National Planning Scenarios [45]
The Federal interagency community has developed 15 all-hazards planning scenarios (the National Planning Scenarios or Scenarios) for use in national, Federal, State, and local homeland security preparedness activities. The Scenarios are planning tools and are representative of the range of potential terrorist attacks and natural disasters and the related impacts that face our nation. The objective was to develop a minimum number of credible scenarios in order to establish the range of response requirements to facilitate preparedness planning. 

 Anatomy of a Foodborne Outbreak [110]

Sentinel laboratories are usually the first to receive patient samples related to foodborne illness and therefore, they fill a vital role in the early detection and investigation of foodborne outbreaks. In this short course, you will see the story of three victims of illness related to food contamination. By following the steps leading from initial food ingestion, to an epidemiological investigation and the final identification of the contaminated food, you will learn the importance of making timely and appropriate decisions for submissions to the state public health laboratory. The course also offers a training section and a checklist for the detection, isolation and submission of STECs. When you have completed the course, you will be able to print a certificate suitable for your competency training records.

 Electronic Bioterrorism Workshop for Sentinel Labs [111]

This course is intended for laboratorians who handle biological and microbiological samples in clinical, reference, public health, animal, research or teaching laboratories. The course consists of a Virtual Bioterrorism Workshop. In this interactive workshop you will determine whether to rule out or refer several organisms that are considered potential agents of bioterrorism by applying Laboratory Response Network protocols for Level A (sentinel) laboratories. When a possible agent of bioterrorism cannot be ruled out, you will view a video describing the clinical presentation and etiology of the agent. 

 The Role of Sentinel Labs in Emergency Response [112]

This course provides an introduction to the Laboratory Response Network (LRN) architecture. Upon completion of the course, learners will be able to: describe and define a Sentinel Laboratory, understand the roles of basic and advanced Sentinel Laboratories in an emergency response, and identify and understand the use of available resources and reference materials relevvant to Sentinel Laboratories during emergency response. 

 Introduction to Public Health Laboratories [113]

Specifically designed for busy laboratorians, this course provides an introduction to the national laboratory system, an overview of how it functions, and information about a laboratorian's role within the public health lab system.

 Biosafety: Avoiding Lab Aquired Infections [114]

This course prepares laboratorians to understand the dangers posed by working pathogens commonly encountered in the laboratory and recovgnize how the consisten use of safe work practices can provide proection. Upon completion of the course, learners will be able to differentiate between the four biosafety levels in laboratories and know when each is used; explain how a biosafety cabinet (BSC) works, know how to use it properly and recognize when it is required for safety; identify several dangerous pathogens that have contributed to laboratory-acquired infections and recognize thet "trigger points" for safe-handling which are associated with each one; and define the responsibilities of management in creating a safe laboratory environment.

Infectious Disease Emergency Response (IDER) Toolkit [115]
The Infectious Disease Emergency Response (IDER) Toolkit was developed to assist local health departments in developing and/or supplementing their infectious disease emergency response plans in order to strengthen their ability to prepare for and respond to infectious disease emergencies.  Whether a local health department utilizes the entire IDER Toolkit, or simply supplements an existing plan with specific items, the IDER Toolkit contains materials that are useful and appropriate for all types of local health departments. Users of the IDER Toolkit should be able to: Recognize how the Incident Command System may be adopted to plan for and respond to infectious disease emergencies; Discuss the necessary roles and responsibilities during an infectious disease emergency response; Describe how to develop an infectious disease emergency response plan.

Guidelines for the Public Health Laboratory Continuity of Operations Plan [116]
These guidelines build upon the 2007 Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) COOP Guidelines, as well as the FEMA Continuity of Operation Plan Template and Instructions for Federal Departments and Agencies (February 2011). The purpose of the guidelines is to assist state public health laboratories in developing a COOP to ensure continuation of their essential public health activities during events that may disrupt normal operations.

Preparedness for Specific Types of Laboratory Information [117]
An overview of the CDC’s Laboratory Response Network (LRN) and information on biosafety, response plans, testing, presumptive agent identification, guidance on specimen collection and shipping, training on coping with bioterrorism, and contacts for questions.

National Laboratory Training Network (NLTN) [118]
NLTN, a joint program of APHL and the CDC, develops and delivers education programs for professionals in both public and private sector laboratories. NLTN develops training products in multiple formats, presented by expert faculty, to address a variety of learners’ preferences, as well as level of training from broad overviews to intricate, step-by-step, detailed testing methods incorporating hands-on practical experiences. Training types include hands-on workshops, on-demand courses, teleconferences, and seminars.

National Planning Scenarios [45]
The Federal interagency community has developed 15 all-hazards planning scenarios (the National Planning Scenarios or Scenarios) for use in national, Federal, State, and local homeland security preparedness activities. The Scenarios are planning tools and are representative of the range of potential terrorist attacks and natural disasters and the related impacts that face our nation. The objective was to develop a minimum number of credible scenarios in order to establish the range of response requirements to facilitate preparedness planning.

 CASPER Awareness Scenario [32]

The goal of the CASPER Awareness Scenario is to develop a basic understanding of what a Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER) is and how it can be used following a disaster. This course was developed by the Upper Midwest Preparedness and Emergency Response Center and the Iowa Department of Public Health. It takes about an hour to complete.

 Basic Epidemiology [119]
There are four modules in this course: 1. Important Terms in Epidemiology 2. Models for Understanding the Infectious Process 3. Epidemiology in Practice 4. Surveillance There are review questions at the end of modules 1 and 2. These review questions will provide you with an opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills presented in these modules. There is a quiz at the end of module 3. In addition, some modules contain practice exercises to help you better understand the material. Upon completion of this course, you will be able to: - Discuss important terms and concepts for basic epidemiology practice. - Describe the inter-related aspects of the infectious disease process and methods of breaking this "chain" of infection. - Understand basic epidemiology in practice, using a case study of a food-borne outbreak as an example. - Perform basic surveillance tasks in an appropriate and timely manner. - Utilize your regional epidemiologist as a resource for outbreak investigations.

Inclusive Just-in-Time Training for Public Health Investigations (PHI) [120]
Inclusive Just-in-Time Training (I-JITT) for Public Health Investigations is a comprehensive and systematic toolkit designed to support individuals leading and responding to a public health emergency. Its approach to training is aligned with best practice from the field of adult learning theory. The toolkit consists of five components: Implementation Instructions for the Preparedness Planner, an Operational Briefing Checklist for the Epidemiology/Surveillance Group Supervisor, a Field Training Guide for Team Leaders (complete with Job Action Sheets), a “Go-Guide” job aide for surge responders to utilize during an incident, and a short evaluation form to evaluate the I-JITT approach. This training was developed by the Multnomah County Advanced Practice Center.

Building a Public Health Community of Practice—A Biosurveillance Resource Compendium [121]
Building a Public Health Community of Practice – A Biosurveillance Resource Compendium is a toolkit intended to help public health agencies implement an effective, comprehensive biosurveillance program. Providing approximately 40 resources, the toolkit ncludes a series of articles on implementing biosurveillance initiatives, materials defining and discussing the development of a public health community of practice, specific examples of real-world tools and resources that have proven beneficial in North Texas (including system response protocols), and a research report on biosurveillance system efficacy.

Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER) Toolkit [122]
The Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects, Health Studies Branch (DEHHE/HSB) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has developed the Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER) toolkit to assist personnel from any local, regional, state, or federal public health departments in conducting the CASPER during disaster. One of the main objectives in developing this toolkit is to standardize the assessment procedures focusing on United States disaster response. The CASPER toolkit provides guidelines on data collection tool development, methodology, sample selection, training, data collection, analysis, and report writing.

Inclusive Just-in-Time Training (I-JITT) for Public Health Investigations [120]
This comprehensive and systematic toolkit is designed to support individuals leading and responding to a public health emergency. Its approach to training is aligned with best practice from the field of adult learning theory. The toolkit consists of five components: Implementation Instructions for the Preparedness Planner, an Operational Briefing Checklist for the Epidemiology/Surveillance Group Supervisor, a Field Training Guide for Team Leaders (complete with Job Action Sheets), a “Go-Guide” job aide for surge responders to utilize during an incident, and a short evaluation form to evaluate the I-JITT approach. This toolkit is designed to be adaptable to the changing environment of an emergency response and includes tips on how to integrate I-JITT into a local response, whether training lasts five minutes or an hour. Any health department interested in adopting the toolkit can access a hard copy of the product at NACCHO’s toolbox or download PDF/MS Word files that can be tailored to meet the needs of a local jurisdiction

National Planning Scenarios [45]
The Federal interagency community has developed 15 all-hazards planning scenarios (the National Planning Scenarios or Scenarios) for use in national, Federal, State, and local homeland security preparedness activities. The Scenarios are planning tools and are representative of the range of potential terrorist attacks and natural disasters and the related impacts that face our nation. The objective was to develop a minimum number of credible scenarios in order to establish the range of response requirements to facilitate preparedness planning.

 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) [123]
This course is designed for local public health agencies and professionals who may be involved in public health disasters. The goals of the course are to: Increase awareness of the importance of using PPE in public health emergencies and crises; Reinforce appropriate PPE in different crisis situations and biohazards. The intended audience for this course is local public health employees/ agencies and “on site” professionals who may be involved in public health emergencies such as flooding, disease outbreak, hurricanes and floods, debris cleanup, mass fatalities, or any other related public health emergencies.

 Ready or Not? A Family Preparedness Scenario [20]
This interactive, scenario-based course, developed by the Upper Midwest Preparedness and Emergence Response Learning Center, provides training in emergency preparedness for the families of those involved in disaster response, focusing on actions familes can take prior to a disaster. The course takes about 50 minutes or less to complete.

 HAZMAT for Healthcare Providers — Awareness Level [124]
This course is intended for health care workers in a hospital environment who may potentially have contact with a contaminated patient. The presence of hazardous materials in an Emergency Department is a risk to everyone - hospital personnel, patients and other people within the hospital. During HAZMAT incidents, hospital personnel should have two main goals: - To protect both themselves and others from exposure to the hazardous material - To provide the same level of care for the contaminated patient as any other patient This course is intended to help you respond to incidents involving hazardous materials in a way that meets these two goals.

 HAZMAT for Healthcare Providers — Operations Level [124]
This course is intended for health care workers in a hospital environment who may need to respond to an incident involving a contaminated patient on the operations level. Prerequisite: HAZMAT Awareness for Healthcare Providers is a prerequisite for this course. 

 HAZMAT for First Responders [124]
The presence of hazardous materials in an Emergency Department is a risk to everyone - hospital personnel, patients and other people within the hospital. During HAZMAT incidents, hospital personnel should have two main goals: 1. to protect both themselves and others from exposure to the hazardous material 2. to provide the same level of care for the contaminated patient as any other patient This course, designed for health care workers in a hospital environment who may potentially have contact with a contaminated patient, is intended to help you respond to incidents involving hazardous materials in a way that meets these two goals. 

Protective Action Guides (PAGs) [125]
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) developed the PAG Manual to provide guidance on protective actions and when to take them. The manual contains radiation dose guidelines that would trigger protective actions like evacuation or staying indoors. The PAG Manual is a planning guide for emergency responders, and applies to any radiation incident.

Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG) [126]
From U.S. Department of Transportation, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) provides first responders with the Emergency Response Guidebook, a go-to manual to help deal with hazmat accidents during the critical first 30 minutes. PHMSA's goal is to place an ERG in every emergency service vehicle nationwide. To date, nearly 11 million free copies have been distributed to the emergency response community through state emergency management coordinators. 

CDC Radiological Terrorism: Just in Time Training for Hospital Clinicians [127]
This brief (17-min) video from the CDC covers key radiation principles and radiological procedures. Includes demonstrations on applying these principles and procedures in several patient care scenarios in an emergency services setting.

CDC Radiological Terrorism: Tool Kit for Public Health Officials [128]
To bridge gaps in knowledge and skills regarding terrorism response and planning efforts for radiological or nuclear events, the CDC has assembled this toolkit. It includes education on planning for radiological and nuclear terrorism, monitoring in radiation emergencies, guidelines for handling contaminated decedents, and how to use hand-held radiation survey equipment to screen people for contamination.

The National Clearinghouse for Worker Safety and Health Training [129]
The National Clearinghouse for Worker Safety and Health Training from National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences is the national resource for hazardous waste worker curricula, technical reports, and weekly news on hazardous materials, waste operations and emergency response.

Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards [130]
The NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards is intended as a source of general industrial hygiene information for workers, employers, and occupational health professionals. The industrial hygiene information found in the Pocket Guide should help users recognize and control occupational chemical hazards.

National Planning Scenarios [45]

The Federal interagency community has developed 15 all-hazards planning scenarios (the National Planning Scenarios or Scenarios) for use in national, Federal, State, and local homeland security preparedness activities. The Scenarios are planning tools and are representative of the range of potential terrorist attacks and natural disasters and the related impacts that face our nation. The objective was to develop a minimum number of credible scenarios in order to establish the range of response requirements to facilitate preparedness planning.

 Volunteer Management for Public Health [131]
This UMPERLC-developed course is intended for public health agencies who may need to utilize volunteers in both emergency and non-emergency situations. The course includes information on how to handle spontaneous volunteers; the use of volunteer agencies; the Medical Reserve Corp; DMATs; the process of recruiting, screening, and training volunteers; volunteer retention; and licensure and privileging and liability issues.

 Volunteer Training: First Steps [132]
The Upper Midwest PERLC developed this 15-minute training course for potential public health volunteers. After successfully completing the course, learners will be able to: Describe various roles volunteers play in the response to a disaster or other public health emergency; Describe what trianing is required to enable a volunteer to function safely and effectiely in an emergency response; List reasons why it is important for an individual who wishes to volunteer become affiliated with an agency or organization incorporated into disaster resonse; Describe issues to consider when choosing an agency or organization with which to affiliate; Describte DMAT's, the MRC, and various VOLAGs, in general and in reference to the types of volunteers needed and the type of commitment required; Explain the imporatance of only registering as a volunteer with only one agency or organization; Describe how potential volunteers are screened; Describe how credentialing and liability issues work in terms of volunteers in an emergency response and the benefits of healthcare professionals

 Volunteer Training: Stress Management [133]
A disaster is a traumatic event for members of the affected community and can have a negative impact on mental health. It is not only the victims who can suffer from traumatic stress. Emergency responders can suffer from it as well. It is vital for individuals involved in the emergency reponse to manage their stress to whatever degree possible, in order to maintain the safety of themselves and others as they carry out their duties. Th egoal of this 15-minute training course is to explain how a traumatic event affects people, familiarize learners with the symptoms of traumatic stress, both during the event and afterwards, and to provide methods to manage stress.

 Volunteer Training: Personal Protective Equipment [134]
In emergency or disaster response, volunteers may need to perform tasks that place them at risk for hazardous exposure. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is specialized clothing or equipment worn for protection against hazardous substances or infectious materials. This 15-minute course was developed by the Upper Midwest PERLC.

 Volunteer Training: Incident Command System (ICS) [135]
The Incident Command System is an organizational structure that enables multiple agencies to work together under one management system for all incicdents requiring emergency response. Public Health agencies will use this system, as weill all other agencies collaborating in the emergency response. The goal of this 15-minute training course is to explain how the ICS works and how volunteers fit into it.

Volunteer Management: Dispatch and Demobilize Volunteers [136]
Volunteer management is the ability to coordinate the identification, recruitment, registration, credential verification, training, and engagement of volunteers to support the jurisdictional public health agency’s response to incidents of public health significance. This course from TECS-Preparedness and Emergency Response Learning Center will teach the basic skills necessary to dispatch volunteers. Topics will include pre-deployment briefings, managing volunteer stress and tracking volunteers at an emergency site. The course will also cover demobilizing volunteers. Topics will include out- processing volunteers, recognizing volunteer contributions and evaluating volunteer performance. This eLearning course should take approximately one hour to complete.

Volunteer Management: Notify, Organize, and Assemble Volunteers in an Emergency [137]
This course is the second in a series of three from the TECS-Preparedness and Emergency Response Learning Center. This course will teach the basic skills necessary to notify volunteers. Topics will include creating a written plan for communicating with both pre-affiliated and spontaneous volunteers and preparing volunteers for the incident site. The course will also cover organization and assembly of volunteers. Topics will include identifying the types and number of volunteers needed, working with other groups, Volunteer Reception Centers, and managing spontaneous volunteers. It should take approximately one hour to complete.

Volunteer Management: Coordinating Volunteers [138]
Volunteer management is the ability to coordinate the identification, recruitment, registration, credential verification, training, and engagement of volunteers to support the jurisdictional public health agency's response to incidents of public health significance. This course is the third in a series from TECS-Preparedness and Emergency Response Learning Center. It will teach the basic skills necessary to coordinate volunteers. Topics include: creating a written plan, recruiting, interviewing, and developing partnerships. The course will provide an overview of organization, notification, assembly, dispatch, and demobilization of volunteers in an emergency. The course should take 1 hour to complete.

IS-244: Developing and Managing Volunteers [139]
The goal of this FEMA course is to strengthen abilities to prepare for and manage volunteers before, during, and after a severe emergency or major disaster. This course provides strategies for identifying, recruiting, assigning, training, supervising, and motivating volunteers. It includes discussion of spontaneous volunteers as well as those affiliated with community-based, faith-based, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). Estimated time for completion is 4 hours.

Blueprint for the Use of Volunteers in Hospitals and Rural Medical Centers [102]
This toolkit was developed by the Mesa County Advanced Practice Center to help hospitals and public health agencies integrate volunteer support into hospital inpatient, emergency department, and incident response operations through deployment of "Just-in-time" training (JITT) and exercise curricula.

National Planning Scenarios [45]
The Federal interagency community has developed 15 all-hazards planning scenarios (the National Planning Scenarios or Scenarios) for use in national, Federal, State, and local homeland security preparedness activities. The Scenarios are planning tools and are representative of the range of potential terrorist attacks and natural disasters and the related impacts that face our nation. The objective was to develop a minimum number of credible scenarios in order to establish the range of response requirements to facilitate preparedness planning.