Preparedness training

Public Health Emergency Responder Mindy Anduss, from the Butler County Health Department, recently completed Homeland Security training at the Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) in Anniston, Ala. 

“I think the best thing about it was just exposure to different scenarios,” Anduss said.

That exposure included a variety of hands-on activities, one of which was a mass casualty incident with a train derailment. That included a lot of environmental testing, as well as triage.

“It was good exposure to that type of thing,” she said.

She also took part in a decontamination procedure and scene survey monitoring. Anduss was fit tested and wore an SCBA (level B PPE).

“We were like bomb techs almost with three layers of gloves and the big respirator on our back,” she said.

All week the training was tailored toward a huge Northville scenario exercise at the COBRA training facility. Participants were exposed to live nerve agents and tested the unknown to identify which particular agent was present. 

“When we got exposed to live nerve agents, they had to do blood draws,” she said. “It was no joke. This was really hands on and really intense.”

The training lasted one week.

“I learned a lot about terrorists threats,” Anduss said. “It was very intense training.”

She felt much of what she learned she would be able to apply at a local level. One thing in particular she felt could be useful was the three different types of decon they learned about.

“That’s good if anything happens here,” she said.

She also gained a lot of respect for the first responders who have to suit up with all of the equipment.

“I just think it’s an excellent training,” she said. “I found that the instructors there were just top notch.”

The CDP is operated by the United States Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency and is the only federally-chartered Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) training facility in the nation. 

The CDP provides federally-funded, interdisciplinary training for emergency responders from across the United States and U.S. Territories, for 10 responder disciplines: emergency management, emergency medical service, fire service, governmental administrative, hazardous materials, healthcare, law enforcement, public health, public safety communications and public works. 

Healthcare and public health training is conducted at the CDP’s Noble Training Facility, the nation’s only hospital facility dedicated to training hospital and healthcare professionals in disaster preparedness and response.

Many training courses culminate at the CDP’s Chemical, Ordnance, Biological and Radiological Training Facility, the nation’s only facility featuring civilian training exercises in a true toxic environment, using chemical agents. The advanced hands-on training enables responders to effectively prevent, respond to and recover from real-world incidents involving acts of terrorism and other hazardous materials. 

Responders attending CDP training are selected from the nation’s 11 million emergency responders. Training at the CDP ensures that responders gain critical skills and confidence to be better prepared to effectively respond to local incidents or potential WMD incidents.