NCJ Number
202049
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 30 Issue: 8 Dated: August 2003 Pages: 52,54,56,60
Date Published
August 2003
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This article discusses online training programs on weapons of mass destruction (WMD).
Abstract
The WMD Certificate Program is a joint project between the Department of Justice’s Center for Domestic Preparedness and American Military University. Five Web-based programs offer various angles to WMD response. The first program is Emergency Response to Terrorism, which covers response tasks, toxicology, mass casualty triage, and decontamination. The second program is Chemical, Biological, and Radiological Hazards, which provides an in-depth hazardous materials awareness course. WMD Incident Command, the third program, applies Incident Command System principles specifically to WMD response. Federal Response to WMD, the fourth program, studies Federal policy, doctrine, and resources regarding WMD mitigation, preparation, response, and recovery. The final program is called Regulatory Issues in WMD Response, and focuses on public law, reporting authorities, jurisdictional, and functional issues that govern response. The courses are time intensive at 8 weeks per course, but students can log in and access all features at any time. The features include chat rooms, e-mail lists, and newsgroups. Unit learning is available to agencies, which includes expanding the 8 week course to 15 weeks. Distance learning benefits include greater expertise in faculty and the ability to interact between many disciplines. Higher education levels are available to delve deeper into WMD response. The National Terrorism Preparedness Institute (NTPI) seeks to merge three types of training: traditional course work, multimedia/television training, and Web-based training. The Early Responders Distance Learning Center (ERDLC) is a virtual campus offering certificates in Psychological Aspects of Homeland Defense and Security, and Food Protection and Security. The Domestic Preparedness Campus (DPC) currently offers three awareness-level courses to WMD first responders. The Emergency Management Institute (EMI) offers free, independent study courses that can augment first responders’ learning. Future WMD training is expected to move away from correspondence course-type learning toward real-time, scenario-based training. The E Team supports the Incident Command System and consists of identical operational and training modules.