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Eastern States Exposition, West Springfield, MA

7:30am to 5:00pm

First Responders are facing threats from a growing number of fronts that weren’t even in the realm of possibility just a few years ago:

  • Clandestine labs using dangerous, explosive processes, yielding highly caustic and flammable substances
  • Street drugs imported and manufactured that are highly concentrated and now may be weaponized
  • Terrorism, domestic and foreign, driven by a wide variety of ideologies
  • Bourgeoning gang culture thriving, financed by underground drug money
  • Social unrest and disruptive and violence directed at non-law enforcement public safety agencies
  • Unpredictable weather patterns creating high impact storms on a more frequent basis with long and complex recovery operations
  • Increasing frequency of attacks on soft targets
  • Mass casualty incidents where tools and techniques are intentionally used to cause loss of life and gross bodily injury of civilian gatherings
  • Applications for new technologies such as drones and robots in managing threats

The Emerging Threats to First Responders training will bring together leaders in Fire, EMS, Law Enforcement, Tactical, HazMat, EOD, Technical Rescue and K-9 for a fast-paced, multimedia workshop designed to consider these hazards and the required creative multidisciplinary solutions in a way public safety professionals may not have experienced them before.

Sessions will be case-study based and offer perspectives of preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation. The sessions will present and demonstrate a wide variety of cutting-edge technology resources available to protect first responders dealing with these new every-day challenges.

Due to the sensitive nature of this training, it is open to mid-to-senior level commanders. All first responder disciplines, including fire, ems, law enforcement, EMD, public health, hospitals, communications, transit, municipal leaders are encouraged to attend.

OEMS credits are pending.

Registration for this training is full. 

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WRHSAC Trainings March through June 2018

WRHSAC will be offering an exciting array of trainings over the coming months.

Several of these trainings will be specific to certain first responder disciplines and also designed for mid to senior level commanders/managers.

Here is a summary of the trainings that will be offered. Save the date for the trainings that are applicable to you. Registration for the trainings will be opened once all logistics are finalized. Emails announcing the training will be distributed via WRHSAC’s event emailing list.

Please contact Raine Brown, Homeland Security Program Manager with any specific questions.

Emerging Threats Training – March 15, 2018

Location: Likely Eastern States Exposition, West Springfield, MA

This one day workshop will familiarize mid-to-senior level commanders  in the first responder disciplines regarding emerging threats as related to street drugs & hazardous materials response, gang violence, domestic & foreign terrorism,  improvised explosive devices, mass casualty incidents and increased severe weather due to climate change.

 

Operational ICS – March 27 & 28, 2019

Location: TBD

The goal of this training is to provide mid-to-senior level commanders with practical performance level skills enabling them to implement the Incident Command System in the field during every-day responses with confidence while maintaining direct focus on the incident. The course will focus on actions an initial response commander can take to ensure the building blocks of ICS are used in establishing command and control of an escalating or potentially complex incident.

Hampshire County Regional Shelter Exercise – April 19, 2018

Location: Smith Vocational High School, Northampton, MA

This is part of WRHSAC’s Regional Sheltering Exercise Series. This specific exercise will test the Hampshire Regional Shelter Plan and also incorporate integrated MRC response with UMass Amherst.

Amtrak MCI Training & Drills – May 7 & 8, 9 & 10, 16 & 17, 2018

Location: Springfield MA

WRHSAC is partnering with the Amtrak Police to provide Mass Casualty Incident Passenger Rail training to Fire, EMS and Law Enforcement in the region. The training will consist of a 3-hour classroom training, followed by full-day field training. Separate sessions of each will be provided for fire/ems and police. The classroom sessions can accommodate 50 people each. The field trainings can accommodate 100 participates and 20 observers each. The classroom sessions will be held on May 7 & 8. The field training sessions for Fire & EMS will be held on May 9 & 10, with the field drills for law enforcement on May 16 & 17.

Special Events Incident Management Training

            Special Events Risk Incident Management – June 12 & 13, 2018

            Special Events Evacuation Training & Exercise – June 20 & 21, 2018

Location: UMass Amherst

Western Massachusetts hosts many large special events such as the Big E, Tanglewood, Westover Air Show, and more. These events attract thousands of people in open environments. Increasingly both domestic and foreign terrorist are targeting public venues and events and carrying out attacks at these events. Management of incidents at these events presents unique challenges to commanders. These training will help commanders to prepare for and respond to these challenges.

The Special Event Risk Management Course is focused upon building emergency management capabilities for multi-agency collaboration for large special events and venues.

The Special Event Evacuation Training and Exercise Course will prepare special event and venue managers to enhance evacuation planning capabilities and assist emergency responders in implementing flexible and scalable evacuation activities.

MEMA, Region 3/4, 1002 Suffield Street, Agawam, MA

8:00 am to 5:00 pm

The Western Region Homeland Security Advisory Council in partnership with the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency presents
Pediatric Disaster Response & Emergency Preparedness Training.

This training is facilitated by TEEX – Texas A&M Engineering Extension Services

Description

This course prepares students to effectively, appropriately, and safely plan for and respond to a disaster incident involving children, addressing the specific needs of pediatric patients in the event of a community based-incident. Pediatric specific planning considerations include mass sheltering, pediatric-triage, reunification planning and pediatric decontamination considerations. This is not a hands-on technical course, but instead a management resource course for stakeholders like pediatric physicians, emergency managers, emergency planners, and members of public emergency departments like EMS, Fire, Police, Public Health, and Hospitals in field of disaster response and preparedness work.

Prerequisite

None. However, familiarity with the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and the Incident Command System (ICS) via completion of study courses IS-100, IS-200, IS-700, and IS-800 (or equivalents) is recommended.

Requirements

FEMA/SIDNumber
Students must bring a copy of their SID number to class. To obtain a number: cdp.dhs.gov/femasid

Topics

  • Introduction to Pediatric Response
  • Emergency Management (EM) Considerations
  • Implications for Planning and Response
  • Functional Access Needs Considerations
  • Mass Sheltering
  • Pediatric Triage and Allocation of Scarce Resources
  • Pediatric Reunification Considerations
  • Pediatric Decontamination Considerations

Audience

This workshop is appropriate for mid-to-senior management level first responders from western Massachusetts in the fields of hospitals (including pediatric physicians, emergency room personnel & administrators), emergency medical services, public health, emergency management directors, schools, law enforcement, and fire.

16 hours of OEMS credit are approved for this course.

Registration is closed for this class.

Hampshire College, Amherst MA

8:30am to 4:00pm

The United State Attorney’s Office, along with the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security and the Department of Justice offers a forum of learning regarding Public Safety for Houses of Worship and Faith Communities. Several sessions will be held across the Commonwealth, with the session in Western Massachusetts being held on Monday, December 4, 2017 at Hampshire College in Amherst, MA.

PURPOSE OF THE TRAINING

  • To increase the participant’s understanding regarding the various public safety concerns and government roles and responses. Issues like vandilism, arson, internet scams, cyber threats, bomb threats, active shooter and hate crimes will be covered.
  • To increase the participant’s knowledge about planning and preparing for an active threat.
  • To provide participants with tools to build an emergency operations plan

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

  • Faith leaders, administrators, board members
  • Individuals responsible for emergency management at houses of worship
  • University faith leaders

A informational flyer about the training can be found here.

Registration is required. Please follow this link to register.

 

UMass Amherst Campus, Amherst MA

8:00 am to 5:00 pm

The Western Region Homeland Security Advisory Council in partnership with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield, MA Branch Office presents:

Behavioral Analysis Workshop

This workshop will provide participants with an understanding of common profiling concepts and behavioral analysis as applied to possible characteristics and warning signs of those who engage in violent attacks. Participants will learn guidance for gathering information relevant to indicators of possible future violence risk, and how to build a Threat Management Team to manage an identified person of concern. The relationship between law enforcement agencies and public/private agencies as part of the Threat Management Team will be explored.

This workshop is appropriate for all first responder disciplines, schools and colleges, and public and private agencies in western Massachusetts.

This workshop is a follow up to WRHSAC’s Active Shooter Symposium held in March 2016. WRHSAC will again partner with the FBI Springfield Office.

Workshop presentations will include:

  • Profiling Concepts

Introduction to behavioral analysis as well as definitions of common terms used in “profiling”

  • A Behavioral Analysis Examination of Targeted Violence

Overview of targeted violence; characteristics and warning signs of those who engage in violent attacks

  • The Threat Assessment Interview

Guidance for gathering information relevant to indicators of possible future violence risk

  • The Threat Management Team

Guidance for law enforcement and public/private agencies for managing persons of concern

  • Applicable Case Studies

The workshop is free and food will be provided. It will be held at UMass Amherst Campus.

One hour of OEMS credit is available.

Registration is required!

REGISTRATION IS CLOSED FOR THIS WORKSHOP.

Thank you for your interest!

All inquires can be directed to Raine Brown, Homeland Security Program Manager, 413.774.3167 x 138

Agawam and Pittsfield MA

8:30 am to 5:00 pm

WRHSAC is hosting two sessions of Mental Health First Aid Training – Public Safety Module. This is a nationally coordinated training facilitated by the National Council for Behavioral Health.

Two sessions of this one day training will be held:

  • Friday, October 6, 2017 at MEMA Region 3/4, Agawam, MA (This session is full)
  • Friday, November 3, at Berkshire Community College @ Conte Federal Building, Pittsfield, MA (This session is full)

Mental Health First Aid for Public Safety provides first responders with response options to help them de-escalate incidents and better understand mental illnesses so they can respond to mental health related calls appropriately without compromising safety. This is an 8-hour course that teaches a 5-step action plan encompassing the skills, resources, and knowledge to help an individual in crisis connect with appropriate professional, peer, and self-help care.

This training is appropriate for all first responder disciplines.

Eight (8) hours of OEMS credits are available.

This training is free. A light breakfast and full lunch will be provided.

We encourage you to register soon. Due to the interactive nature of the training, course size is limited to 30. The courses are expected to fill quickly. Registration is open to first responders from western Massachusetts. WRHSAC is offering these two sessions to asses interest in this training. If interest is high, additional sessions will likely be offered in the future.

Registration is closed for these trainings. 

 

Multiple Locations

8:00 am to 5:00 pm

Registration for these trainings is closed. Thank you for your interest. 

The Western Region Homeland Security Advisory Council in partnership with UMass Amherst, Springfield College and Williams College offer
Family Reunification Training. 

After Action Reports from real-world incidents and from regional exercises have identified the reunification of children and their family/care-givers as a gap of concern for emergency preparedness and response. WRHSAC has been working to address this gap in western Massachusetts through its Children in Disasters: Keeping Kids Safe initiative. Over the last year WRHSAC has develop a Family Reunification Plan Template, a complete toolkit which agencies, schools, or municipalities may adopt to create their own Family Reunification Plan. (The link to this template will be available soon).

The training will be facilitated by I Love You Guys Foundation. I Love You Guys have developed the Standard Response Protocol and Standard Reunification Method, which are being utilized across the country as best practice for reunification. These documents were key to the development of WRHSAC’s Family Reunification Template.  

This training will prepare participants to reunify children with their families following an emergency incident. WRHSAC’s Family Reunification Plan Template will be provided to participants to develop their own reunification plans. Appropriate for schools, colleges, municipalities, emergency management directors, first responders and any agency providing services to children in western Massachusetts.

Three separate sessions of this training will be held:

  • Wednesday, October 25, 2017—Springfield College, Springfield, MA
  • Thursday, October 26, 2017—Williams College, Williamstown, MA
  • Friday, October 27, 2017—UMass Amherst, Amherst, MA – This session is full and waitlisted
  • 8:00am to 5:00pm each session

The training is free and food will be provided.

Comfort dogs and their handlers from HOPE Animal-Assisted Crisis Response will also be present. 

To register please complete the form below and indicate which session you wish to attend. All registrants will be placed on a wait list. You will be notified of acceptance.

Any inquires can be addressed to Raine Brown, Homeland Security Program Manager, 413-774-3167 x138

Registration for these trainings is closed. Thank you for your interest.

Hazmat Team Training

WRHSAC provides support to Massachusetts Department of Fire Services‘ District 4 & 5 Hazmat Teams through funding for training and equipment. Last week District 4 members participated in a training on the chemistry of the weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) taught by OPS15. Public Safety Multimedia was once again on the ready with his camera and captured a great summary of the training. Check it out!  Thank you to Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) Region III/IV for hosting the training and to Executive Office of Public Safety and Security Homeland Security Division for their assistance with grant administration.

 
Weapons of Mass Destruction Workshop

Upcoming Trainings & Events

The Western Region Homeland Security Advisory Council has several exciting events and training opportunities coming up over the next several months. Mark the dates on your calendar and watch your email and this website for registration information. Registration for most of these events will be opened in September, 2017.

Mental Health First Aid Training Public Safety Module
Mental Health First Aid teaches participants how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illness and substance abuse. This module is specifically designed for first responders and provides them with effective response options to de-escalate incidents without compromising safety. Two sessions of this training are scheduled.

Friday, October 6, 2017 – Agawam, MA and
Friday, November 3, 2017 – Pittsfield, MA

Reunification Training / Family Reunification Plan Template
This training will prepare participants to reunify children with their families following an emergency incident. WRHSAC’s Family Reunification Plan Template will be provided to participants to develop their own reunification plans. Appropriate for schools, colleges, municipalities and any agency providing services to children. Three separate sessions of this training will be held.

Wednesday, October 25, 2017 – Springfield College
Thursday, October 26, 2017 – Williams College
Friday, October 27, 2017 – UMass Amherst

 

Behavioral Analysis & Targeted Violence Workshop
This workshop is a follow up to WRHSAC’s Active Shooter Symposium held in March 2016. WRHSAC will again partner with the FBI Springfield Office. Participants will be provided with information relevant to emerging trends in incidents of targeted violence. This workshop will be appropriate for all first responder disciplines, schools and colleges, and public and private agencies.

Thursday, December 14, 2017 – UMass Amherst

 

Pediatric Disaster Preparedness Training

This course prepares participants to effectively, appropriately, and safely plan for and respond to a disaster incident involving children, addressing the specific needs of pediatric victims in the event of a community based-incident.  This training will be appropriate for EMDs, Emergency Planners, Public Health, School Administrators, Hospital & ER Personnel, Public Safety. This is a two-day training.

February 21 & 22, 2018 – Location TBD

 

 

Warm Zone Operations and Triage Training Photo Essay

On June 28 & 29, 2017 WRHSAC conducted a Warm Zone Operations and Triage Training. The training was conducted by Emergency Response Consulting and was held at The Red Barn at Hampshire College.

This two-day training provided participants with performance level training in Warm Zone operations. The focus was on cross-discipline coordination on scene, particularly between EMS, Fire and Police. Tactical formations, communication, team integrity, and more was also included. Special focus was given to wound assessment and triage prioritization. The first day was primarily lecture format covering warm zone development, the active shooter, MCI in a hostile environment and triage dynamics. Drills and scenarios were practiced on day 2. Participating disciplines included EMS, fire, police, hospitals, schools, CERT/MRC, Northwest Massachusetts Incident Management Team and Search & Rescue.

The drills of the training are shown through this photo essay taken and produced by Public Safety Multimedia. 

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