Community Partnerships in Disaster Site Training

The National Security Presidential Directive 43, established in 2005, and Presidential Policy Directive 8—National Preparedness—established in 2011, both call for increased training and education to secure the nation against acts of terrorism, pandemics, and catastrophic man- made or natural disasters. The Community College Consortium for Health and Safety Training (CCCHST), sponsored by the National Partnership for Environmental Technology Education (NPETE), will help the nation be better prepared to respond to hazardous materials disasters through training and education. PETE will annually offer 40-hour Disaster Site Response Training (DSRT) for Instructors held at the National Preparedness Institute, Indian River State College, FL, training up to 20 Haz Mat disaster response instructors serving the nation’s community colleges, alternative high schools, community-based and faith-based response groups, and the nation’s first responders. Trainers from other NIEHS awardees are invited to attend on a space-available basis. PETE will annually offer Refresher training for all consortium member instructors. Training partners include OAI/BPSOS/Mendez Environmental protecting the Gulf; OAI/ ABS Training and Consulting in the Midwest; CERT High School/AmeriCorps based in Wisconsin; PathStone Corporation in Puerto Rico and Ohio known for farmworker and career certification training; Colorado Baptist Disaster Relief responding to national disasters; Tribal Colleges led by Saginaw Chippewa College in Michigan; and Pacific Rim Colleges led by Guam Community College. Three participants competing DSRT will be supported to complete a hands-0n one-week internship with Colorado Baptist Disaster Relief. This mission works with 40 other state missions as part of the Southern Baptist Convention and responds to disaster response needs throughout the U.S., its territories, and Canada. Following training, consortium members will annually train 1,495 community college students, alternative/technical high school students, community volunteers and first responders to respond to local Haz Mat disasters, offering 100 courses and 11,845 contact hours of local training annually.