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INDEPENDENT STUDY TRAINING AT NO COST TO YOUR
DEPARTMENT

 By Phil Holmes

While searching for training resources which offered credentialed courses, at little to no cost for his department, this officer came across an unlikely source.

At a time when budgets are restricted, many departments are searching for training options which are inexpensive, relevant, and from reliable sources. Another benefit would be if the source allows officers to remain at work, conducting a self-paced study. When most officers find themselves seeking quality training they probably don’t think, “I should check out the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Web site.” At that very site, I found resources which are too good to pass up, much less to keep to myself.

Emergency Management Training

I was directed to FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute (EMI) and the U.S. Fire Administration’s National Fire Academy (NFA) Web sites. The EMI offers independent study programs, most of which are directly related to emergency management subjects and procedures. Among them is a program called the Professional Development Series. This series offers courses which are directly relevant to the field of law enforcement and some which are of peripheral value. At the NFA, interested readers will find a course titled “Emergency Response to Terrorism: Self Study.”

Self-Study Program 

The EMI Professional Development Series is a collection of courses which are used to lay the groundwork for emergency management preparedness. Since dealing with natural and man-made disasters is one portion of law enforcement’s role, the training is a valuable and interesting opportunity to see the emergency management landscape from a different vantage point. The Emergency Response to Terrorism course is designed to introduce a first responder (fire, EMS, and law enforcement) to the dangers associated with the most frequently occurring style of domestic and international terrorist attacks – a bombing.  Each of these courses is an informative source presented as a self-study program. An officer can complete the EMI courses in the relative privacy of the patrol car or in a formal classroom training program. Instructors interested in presenting these courses can contact their state’s emergency management training coordinator to get an instructor’s guide. Each course consists of presenting the material and reinforcing the learning with an open book test. The material can be downloaded to a disc and studied on a personal computer. The test is designed to be completed through EMI’s Web site to allow for a paperless exchange between the student and EMI. After completing the course, the student will receive a certificate from EMI in the mail.

Continuing Education 

Most of the EMI courses are accepted for one hour of continuing education, while a few count for two hours. Students should check with their local state Department of Public Safety to see if these continuing education units (CEUs) will be applied toward state POST training. In addition, one hour of college credit per course can be earned through the collaboration of the EMI and the Frederick Community College in Frederick, Maryland. For a fee of $60.00 per credit hour, students can have their EMI course work transferred into college credits.

Seven Courses 

The Professional Development Series courses are of value to law enforcement due to the relevance of the course work. In law enforcement, we could all benefit from improved decision-making, communication, and leadership skills. The seven courses offered through this series are:           

•  Principles of Emergency Management – This course covers the fundamental practices and principles of emergency management.

•  Emergency Planning – This course provides an explanation of the basic planning process in emergency management and shaping community disaster responses.

•  Effective Communication – This course is designed to improve communication skills and presents different mediums of communication.

•  Decision-making and Problem Solving – Offers insight into the decision-making process and ideas on problem solving.

•  Leadership and Influence – This course provides various viewpoints on leadership and developing the influential talents of a manager.

•  Developing and Managing Volunteers – This course is an introduction to beneficial practices for working with volunteers and how to develop them into the type of service providers an agency needs.

•  Exercise Development – This course offers instruction on developing exercises to train, test, and prepare the emergency management team prior to the occurrence of a disaster. 

Departments, whether large or small, which are seeking out innovative training approaches would benefit from their use of the EMI and NFA courses. I have benefited from the information contained in these courses and would encourage any officer or department to register for any course which might catch his (or her) eye. The only cost involved is the time it takes to complete the work. For a certainty, it is an investment in your career and self-improvement. For more information, visit the EMI Web site at http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/PDS. To order the Emergency Response to Terrorism: Self Study course, call the NFA at (800) 238-3358, Ext. 1189. Request it by title or by course number Q534.

About the Author: Phil Holmes is a patrol officer with the city of St. Peters, Missouri, with 13 years of law enforcement experience. Mr. Holmes is an adjunct instructor at the Eastern Missouri Law Enforcement Training Academy specializing in use of force, defensive tactics, interpersonal skills, and patrol-related courses. He can be reached by E-mail at PHolmes@stpetersmo.net.