Click here to register online for Rural Domestic Preparedness Consortium’s (RDPC) “Bioterrorism Awareness: Collaboration Among Rural First Responders and Health Professionals” training course.
Rural, small town communities are not immune to threats of violence and possible acts of terrorism. It takes everyone working together—from first responders on the frontlines of defense to health professionals often working behind the scenes in hospitals and medical clinics—to help ensure the public is protected and medical needs are met during these kinds of incidents.
The Rural Domestic Preparedness Consortium (RDPC) recognizes that proper training is critical to the nation’s first responders and is providing expert, instructor-led training for them and other first-receiver agencies to respond more efficiently and effectively in the event of a bioterrorism incident.
A free, pilot training course on bioterrorism awareness will be presented by RDPC on Thursday, June 14, from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. at The Center for Rural Development in Somerset bringing together first responders and health professionals in the same room to discuss their roles and how they can work collaboratively in situations involving biological agents.
During the eight-hour training course, “Bioterrorism Awareness: Collaboration Among Rural First Responders and Health Professionals,” participants will learn how to apply the information from various emergency response guides, focusing especially on the strategic use of computer software decision tools, both during field response to bioterrorism attacks and in rural health facilities.
The intention is to increase the efficiency of the rural first responders’ field experience as well as to coordinate patient care by enhancing their communication with emergency department (ED) hospital personnel and public health personnel, thus improving the entire response experience and reducing the chance for further community contamination.
The course is also intended to show healthcare providers the value of using WISER® software to detect possible biological agent effects on patients entering hospital Emergency Department or rural clinics with symptoms but unknown causes.
Targeted audience for this course include emergency management agency personnel, emergency medical services, fire services, healthcare and public health, law enforcement, and public safety communications.
RDPC is a U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Training and Education Integration Division partnership of academic institutions with a vision of creating an environment wherein rural communities across America will have the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to enhance the safety, security and quality of life for their citizens.
As a strategic partner to the RDPC, The Center for Rural Development is responsible for technology including a large network of interactive television (ITV), videoconferencing, and learning management systems necessary to manage large student populations and deliver courses to rural responders across the nation.
For question about the course pilot agenda, please contact Sue Fulmer at East Tennessee State University at 423-439-8134, or email fulmer@estu.edu, or contact Jacqueline Pauly at Eastern Kentucky University at 859-358-3976 or email Jacqueline.Pauley@eku.edu.
For more information on RDPC, to request a course, or find training in your area, visit www.ruraltraining.org, call toll-free 877-855-7372, or email info@ruraltraining.org.
