Business assurance education

This online course focuses on training responders to meet the requirements established in the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1072 (2017 ed.),“Competencies for Awareness Level Personnel,”(chapter 4) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 29 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 1910.120 (q) (6) (i) (a-f) “First Responder Awareness Level” competencies. 

This course encompasses an all-hazards approach to Hazardous Materials (HazMat) incidents, including acts of terrorism where Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) materials may have been used. It provides participants the knowledge to recognize the hazardous material, protect themselves, notify others, and secure the scene.

There are no prerequisites for this course.

• In order to complete this course, you must have:
• An internet connection (broadband connection recommended) 
• Current web browser (i.e., Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Safari, etc.) 
  • To prevent issues during your online class be sure that your web browser is updated to the latest version available. 
• Current versions of Adobe Acrobat Reader and Adobe Flash. 
• This course cannot be completed on a mobile phone.

There are no prerequisites for this course. However, it is highly recommended that participants complete: 

• IS-100.a - Introduction to the Incident Command System (ICS) or equivalent
• IS-700.a - National Incident Management System (NIMS), An Introduction

• Prevention and Deterrence 
• Identification of Hazardous Material and the Emergency Response Guide (ERG) 
• Chemical Agents 
• Biological Agents 
• Radiological Materials and Nuclear Weapons 
• Explosive Devices

• Fire department responders 
• Law enforcement officials 
• Public works 
• County/State/Federal responders 
• Emergency medical services 
• Public health and health care workers 
• Private sector

• 0.8 CEUs 
• Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE)

As part of a Department of Homeland Security/Federal Emergency Management Agency (DHS/FEMA) cooperative agreement training program, this course is available at no direct cost to state, county, and local government agencies. 

At the completion of this course, you will be required to pass a comprehensive final exam in order to print a certificate of completion.

This course is offered on-line free of charge by our partners at Texas A&M.

Upon completion, please send your certificate to emergencypreparedness@corewellhealth.org.

Hospital staff members who comprise a Hospital Emergency Response Team, such as physicians, nurses, administrators, security personnel, environmental staff, and other hospital staff.

The Hospital Emergency Response Training for Mass Casualty Incidents (HERT) course addresses healthcare response at the operations level for the facility and its personnel. This three-day course prepares healthcare responders to utilize the Hospital Incident Command System — integrating into the community emergency response network while operating an Emergency Treatment Area as hospital first responders during a mass casualty incident involving patient contamination. The healthcare responders will determine and use appropriate personal protective equipment and conduct triage followed by decontamination of ambulatory and nonambulatory patients as members of a Hospital Emergency Response Team. 

Below are some, but not all, of the critical skill sets learned during this training program: 

• Analyze the need, composition, and use of a Hospital Emergency Treatment Team during an emergency, mass casualty incident, or disaster situation. 
• Summarize the organization and operation of the Hospital Incident Command System as it integrates with the Incident Command System during response to mass casualty incident. 
• Differentiate the medical responses to a variety of illnesses and injuries that may result from a mass casualty incident. 
• Select and use the appropriate level of personal protective equipment as hospital first receivers in response to a disaster involving patient contamination. 
• Structure the healthcare facility Emergency Treatment Area to support medical operations in response a mass casualty incident. 
• Establish a Hospital Emergency Response Team that meets all safety requirements, provides security to the hospital, and efficiently manages patients for processing into the hospital facility for follow-up treatment. 
• Compare decontamination methods and procedures. 
• Perform Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment© (START) and JumpSTART procedures within the Emergency Treatment Area during a hospital response to a mass casualty incident involving contamination. 
• Conduct operations in an Emergency Treatment Area while wearing appropriate personal protective equipment in response to a mass casualty incident involving contamination. 
• Conduct an effective medical response to a mass casualty incident using the Hospital Emergency Response Team approach.

Duration: Two days (16 hours)

The Spectrum Health Hospital Command Center Training offers Command Center staff a comprehensive view of all of the tasks and information that may come in during a small and large size incident. All command center staff will receive an overview of FEMA's Incident Command Structure; Juvare's eICS; and participate in an exercise where they will have to make decisions, complete objectives, and formulate plans for upcoming situations.

• Fundamentals review for Command and General Staff 
• Major and/or Complex Incident/Event Management 
• Disaster decision making 
• ICS Basics (introduction to ICS 100, 200 & 700) 
• Introduction to eICS

Responders who will serve as command or general staff in a Hospital or System Command Center, select department heads with multi-disciplinary coordination system responsibilities.

Duration: Six Hours

None

The Core Disaster Life Support® (CDLS) course is a 3.5 hour competency-based, awareness-level course that introduces clinical and public health concepts and principles for the management of disasters and public health emergencies. The course incorporates the “all-hazards” approach to personal, institutional, and community disaster management through the use of two unique mnemonics, the PRE-DISASTER Paradigm™ (which applies to event mitigation and preparedness) and the DISASTER Paradigm™ (which applies to event recognition, response, and recovery). 

The overarching aim of the CDLS course is to provide participants from diverse professions, disciplines, and backgrounds with a common lexicon, vocabulary, and knowledge in disaster-related medicine and public health that can be reinforced and expanded in the BDLS® and ADLS® courses. The CDLS course is aimed at a broad range of audience categories, including medical first responders, health professionals, health service providers, public health workers, and health support personnel.

• Describe the all-hazards approach to disaster mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. 
• Discuss essential components of federal, state, regional, and community disaster health systems, including the role of the public and private health sectors. 
• Describe the elements of the PRE-DISASTER Paradigm and their application to the management of disasters and public health emergencies. 
• Describe actions that can be taken to enhance personal preparedness and resilience for disasters and public health emergencies. 
• Identify legal and ethical issues that impact disaster mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery, including the basic legal framework for public health. 
• Describe the elements of the DISASTER Paradigm and their application for the management of disasters and public health emergencies.

The Basic Disaster Life Support™ (BDLS®) course is a 7.5 hour competency-based, awareness-level course that introduces concepts and principles to prepare health professionals for the management of injuries and illnesses caused by disasters and public health emergencies. The course builds upon, applies, and reinforces information presented in the Core Disaster Life Support® (CDLS®) course. This includes application of core principles and concepts in emergency management and public health as introduced in the CDLS course through the PRE-DISASTER Paradigm™ and DISASTER Paradigm™. The primary focus of the BDLS course is incorporation of an “all-hazards” approach to mass casualty management and population-based care across a broad range of disasters. Measures to ensure and enhance health workforce readiness are emphasized throughout the course. This includes a consistent and scalable approach to workforce protection and casualty management, as well as, mass casualty triage and fatality management. 

The BDLS course is designed to engage participants through interactive scenarios and group discussion. The overarching aim of the BDLS course is to teach a common lexicon, vocabulary, and knowledge base for the clinical and public health management of all ages and populations affected by disasters and public health emergencies, through a standardized curriculum that is practical and relevant for all health professionals. Knowledge gained in the course can then be reinforced and expanded through application in the Advanced Disaster Life Support™ (ADLS®) course. The BDLS course is aimed at a broad range of audience categories that share a common likelihood of providing clinical care and assistance to casualties during a disaster or public health emergency, including healthcare, public health and allied health professionals; emergency medical services personnel; and other medical first responders and receivers. 

Certifications in BDLS remain active for three years from the date of issuance.

• Describe an all-hazard, standardized, scalable casualty management approach for use in disasters and public health emergencies, including life-saving interventions and medical decision making in an altered care environment. 
• Describe information sharing, resource access, communication, and reporting methods useful for health professionals during disasters and public health emergencies. 
• Describe the purpose and importance of the incident management system for providing health and medical support services in a disaster or public health emergency. 
• Describe field, facility, community, and regional surge capacity assets for the management and support of mass casualties in a disaster or public health emergency. 
• Describe considerations and solutions to ensure continuity of and access to health-related information and services to meet the medical and mental health needs of all ages, populations, and communities affected by a disaster or public health emergency. 
• Describe public health interventions appropriate for all ages, populations, and communities affected by a disaster or public health emergency. 
• Identify the potential casualty population in a disaster or public health emergency, including persons with acute injuries or illnesses; those with pre-existing disease, injuries, or disabilities; those with age-related vulnerabilities and other functional and access needs; and their family/caregiver support network. 
• Describe the deployment readiness components for health professionals in a disaster or public health emergency. 
• Describe an all-hazards standardized, scalable workforce protection approach for use in disasters and public health emergencies, including detection, safety, security, hazard assessment, support, and evacuation or sheltering in place. 
• Describe actions that facilitate mass casualty field triage utilizing a standardized step-wise approach and uniform triage categories. 
• Describe the concepts and principles of mass fatality management for health professionals in a disaster or public health emergency. 
• Describe the clinical assessment and management of injuries, illnesses, and mental health conditions manifested by all ages and populations in a disaster or public health emergency. 
• Describe moral, ethical, legal, and regulatory issues relevant to the health- related management of individuals of all ages, populations, and communities affected by a disaster or public health emergency.

The Advanced Disaster Life Support™ (ADLS®) course is an intense 15-hour course that allows participants to demonstrate competencies in mass casualty management. Core education elements include the ADLS manual and five interactive lectures (Disasters and Public Health Emergencies; Triage in Disasters and Public Health Emergencies; Health System Surge Capacity for Disasters and Public Health Emergencies; Community Health Emergency Operations and Response; and Legal and Ethical Issues in Disasters). Essential training components include population scenarios discussion; mass casualty triage tabletop and situational training exercises; surge tabletop scenario for a health care facility; personal protective equipment skills performance and decontamination video review; casualty management in small groups with simulated scenarios; and emergency operations center situational training exercise. ADLS requires learners to apply knowledge learned in the Core Disaster Life Support® (CDLS®) and Basic Disaster Life Support™ (BDLS®) courses. 

Successful completion of the BDLS course is a prerequisite for attendance at the ADLS course. The ADLS course target audience includes physicians, nurses, physician assistants, emergency medical technicians (EMTs), paramedics, pharmacists, allied health professionals, and students in health professional schools. 

Certifications in ADLS remain active for three years from the date of issuance.

• Explain the shift from individual- to population-based care in a disaster or public health emergency. 
• Practice mass casualty triage in a simulated disaster scenario. 
• Choose strategies to establish organizational and community surge capacity in a disaster or public health emergency. 
• Differentiate roles performed in an emergency operations center or incident command center established in response to a simulated mass casualty event. 
• Discuss legal, regulatory, and ethical principles and practices to enable health professionals to provide crisis standards of care in a disaster or public health emergency. 
• Select personal protective equipment and decontamination measures appropriate for personnel and public health protection in a disaster or public health emergency. 
• Apply clinical skills for the management of mass casualties in simulated all-hazards scenarios.

ICS Basics introduces the Incident Command System (ICS) and provides the foundation for higher level ICS training. This course describes the history, features and principles, and organizational structure of the Incident Command System. It also explains the relationship between ICS and the National Incident Management System (NIMS). 

At the conclusion of the course staff should gain a basic understanding of ICS 100, 200 & 700

• Explain the principles and basic structure of the Incident Command System (ICS). 
• Describe the NIMS management characteristics that are the foundation of the ICS. 
• Describe the ICS functional areas and the roles of the Incident Commander and Command Staff. 
• Describe the General Staff roles within ICS. 
• Identify how NIMS management characteristics apply to ICS for a variety of roles and discipline areas. 
• Describe how the NIMS Management Characteristics relate to Incident Command and Unified Command. 
• Describe the delegation of authority process, implementing authorities, management by objectives, and preparedness plans and objectives. 
• Identify ICS organizational components, the Command Staff, the General Staff, and ICS tools. 
• Describe different types of briefings and meetings. 
• Explain flexibility within the standard ICS organizational structure. 
• Explain transfer of command briefings and procedures. Use ICS to manage an incident or event. 
• Describe and identify the key concepts, principles, scope, and applicability underlying NIMS. 
• Describe activities and methods for managing resources. 
• Describe the NIMS Management Characteristics. Identify and describe Incident Command System (ICS) organizational structures. 
• Explain Emergency Operations Center (EOC) functions, common models for staff organization, and activation levels. 
• Explain the interconnectivity within the NIMS Management and Coordination structures: ICS, EOC, Joint Information System (JIS), and Multiagency Coordination Groups (MAC Groups). 
• Identify and describe the characteristics of communications and information systems, effective communication, incident information, and communication standards and formats.

Spectrum Health staff members required to obtain FEMA certification in ICS 100, 200 & 700, as well as staff members who are eager to continue their education in topics related to Emergency preparedness.

Duration: Two hours

None

ICS-300 provides an in-depth focus on the NIMS Incident Command System (ICS) that includes the tools, practices and procedures that are available in ICS to effectively manage emergency incidents or planned local events at a local Type 3 level. Expanding upon ICS-100 and -200, this course ensures that responders understand the basic ICS concepts that allow an incident management organization to expand and contract as needed to fit the incident and maintain its operational effectiveness.

• Roles and Responsibilities 
• Initial response activities 
• Staffing and organizing 
• Relationships and interactions with staff and other stakeholders 
• Executive level interactions 
• Command’s direction 
• Exercise Learning Components 
• Meetings, Briefings and Support Activities 
• IAP Prep and Approval 
• Executing Plan and Assessing Progress 
• External Coordination 
• Transitioning and Demobilization

Responders who may assume a supervisory role in expanding incidents or Type 3 incidents, such as command staff, section chiefs, strike team leaders, task force leaders, unit leaders, division/group supervisors, branch directors, and multi-agency coordination system/emergency operations center staff.

Duration: three days (24 hours)

Successful completion of ICS-100, ICS-200, IS-700, and IS-800

ICS-400 provides training and resources for responders who require advanced application of the ICS by providing overall incident management skills rather than tactical expertise. Expanding upon information covered in ICS-100 through ICS-300 courses, ICS-400 emphasizes large-scale organizational development, roles and relationships of the command and general staff, and planning, operational, logistical and fiscal considerations related to large and complex incident and event management. The course also describes the application of Area Command and the importance of interagency coordination on complex incidents and events.

• Fundamentals review for Command and General Staff 
• Major and/or Complex Incident/Event Management Area Command 
• Multiagency Coordination (MAC)

Responders who will serve as command or general staff in an ICS organization, select department heads with multi-agency coordination system responsibilities, area commanders, emergency managers, and multi-agency coordination system/emergency operations center managers for expanding or Type 3 incidents.

Duration: Two days (14-16 hours)

Successful completion of ICS-300

Introduction to eICS provides a basic over view of the Juvare platform eICS for electronic documentaiton in the Command Center.

eICS is required training for 

• Command Center Staff 
• Command Center Support Team 
• Response Team Members

Duration: One Hour

N/A

Certified Hospital Emergency Coordinator (CHEC) Basic is a two-day classroom-based course. This course provides students with an introduction to emergency management principles, key components and regulations of emergency preparedness and response programs. Upon completion of the Certified Hospital Emergency Coordinator (CHEC) Basic course, the hospital emergency coordinator (HEC) will be able to demonstrate the ability to make critical decisions needed to reduce the potential threats to life and property using an “all hazards” approach to disaster management. This will be accomplished by making certain that the HEC: understands the components of the overall healthcare system, knows the threats to the hospital and the community, understand the emergency planning process, understands emergency management principles and can demonstrate effective leadership during an incident. The course focuses on tasks and skills that have been identified as essential to the role of the HEC. 

The CHEC Certification Program is a tiered certification process incorporating advancing course work as pre-requisites to three levels of certification using the CHEC Basic and Advanced courses as the foundation. 

CHEC Basic: 2-day course; 13.5 CEU’s 

• CHEC courses are customarily offered over 3 consecutive days. 
• Single course enrollment is permitted. 
• CHEC Basic is a pre-requisite to CHEC Advanced. 
• CEUs are honored and accepted by The State Office of EMS and EMA to maintain certification. 
• Students receive a handbook and electronic resource materials.