| Most attention and much of the resources for | | | | all-hazards homeland security training needs in |
| all-hazards preparedness and response have been | | | | summer 2006, and almost 1,000 completed |
| focused on urban areas. Enter the Rural Domestic | | | | surveys were returned by rural officials in the |
| Preparedness Consortium (RDPC), which was | | | | fields of law enforcement, fire, emergency |
| developed to ensure that rural first responders | | | | medical services, public health and general local |
| have a continuous resource for their training and | | | | government. |
| preparedness needs. Its goal is also to ensure that | | | | Planning for terrorism events was identified as the |
| rural first responders are up to speed on timely | | | | primary training need across all stakeholder |
| and relevant training and response information, as | | | | groups. However, each group had different |
| well as best practices. | | | | priorities. The highest-rated training need for each |
| Now this consortium is preparing a series of | | | | group was: |
| Department of Homeland Security (DHS)-certified | | | | - Law enforcement - responder safety and health. |
| training courses for rural stakeholders to be | | | | - Fire service - citizen preparedness and |
| offered at no charge across the nation. | | | | participation. |
| "Our country is still in a mode of concentrating | | | | - Emergency medical service - chemical, biological, |
| training resources toward potential large-scale | | | | radiological, nuclear, explosives (CBRNE) detection. |
| events that might occur in urban areas," said | | | | - Public health - planning for terrorism events. |
| Gary Wingrove, chair of the advisory board to | | | | - General government - weapons of mass |
| the RDPC and manager of Government Relations | | | | destruction/hazardous materials response and |
| and Strategic Affairs for The Mayo Clinic Medical | | | | decontamination. |
| Transport in Buffalo, Minn. "The consortium is | | | | It was no surprise that every discipline has |
| concentrating on creating curricula centered | | | | significant unmet training needs, Brosius said. "If |
| around the support role of rural responders to | | | | there were any surprises, it would be that each |
| urban events, as well as an all-hazards approach | | | | discipline identified a different area as its top |
| more suited to rural communities for the more | | | | priority in terms of the number of personnel |
| typical types of events we might be called upon | | | | needing training," he said. |
| to manage directly." | | | | The survey results showed that the general |
| Eastern Kentucky University's (EKU's) Justice and | | | | government sector has the greatest need for |
| Safety Center leads the consortium, and partners | | | | training among all the groups. The RDPC notes |
| include East Tennessee State University, Iowa | | | | that government officials are not often |
| Central Community College, Northwest Arkansas | | | | considered first responders: "But oftentimes it is |
| Community College and the University of Findlay | | | | the local mayor, county judge/executive, or city |
| in Ohio. | | | | manager who is one of the first officials to |
| The DHS/Federal Emergency Management | | | | address the media and the general public." They |
| Agency Training and Education Division awarded | | | | are also often the primary contacts for state and |
| the consortium and a Rural Domestic | | | | federal assistance. |
| Preparedness Training Center at EKU with $14.1 | | | | The RDPC plans to follow up with a more detailed |
| million since fiscal 2004, and EKU applied for an | | | | survey of general government officials' needs, |
| additional $12 million in grants. | | | | work with national associations representing this |
| The consortium's first order of business was to | | | | group, and explore adapting existing training |
| identify gaps in training for rural homeland security. | | | | curriculum to the needs of general government |
| Each consortium partner conducted a regional | | | | officials. |
| forum, the RDPC mailed out a national needs | | | | The consortium reports that rural first responders |
| assessment survey, and in September 2007, the | | | | prefer local, hands-on training, although they are |
| consortium convened a National Rural Emergency | | | | generally willing to participate in online and |
| Preparedness Summit in Omaha, Neb. | | | | video-conference training sessions. |
| Jo Brosius, director of communications at EKU's | | | | The RDPC plans to make the National Rural |
| Justice and Safety Center, said several pilot | | | | Emergency Preparedness Summit an annual |
| training courses are scheduled to begin before the | | | | event, to be held in rural communities across the |
| end of 2007. They include Special Event Security | | | | country. Participants in the first summit identified |
| Planning for Law Enforcement, developed by the | | | | and prioritized 15 critical areas for the RDPC to |
| Rural Domestic Preparedness Training Center; | | | | focus on. The recommendations include |
| Freight Rail Car Incident Response; and Port and | | | | evacuation and quarantine, agroterrorism, |
| Vessel Security for Public Safety Personnel, both | | | | interoperable communications, surviving the first |
| developed by the University of Findlay. | | | | 48 hours, and post-incident responder and family |
| "We all feel that we are addressing a gap in a | | | | care. |
| national need," said Mark Alliman, RDPC program | | | | "Training is something you should do continuously, |
| manager for the University of Findlay. "As we | | | | but it's difficult, especially when you look at |
| start rolling these courses out, it will be a lot more | | | | volunteers," Alliman said. "And that's just a fact of |
| evident that we are addressing those gaps and | | | | rural America. We need to let folks like that know |
| training needs." | | | | that RDPC is there, and we have listened to |
| Training Needs | | | | them, and we're putting good training programs |
| The RDPC sent out nearly 3,200 surveys about | | | | together to help address their needs. |