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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.

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

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.

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

 

 

UMass Amherst Campus Center

8:15 am to 5:00 pm

The Western Region Homeland Security Advisory Council is offering Medical Preparedness and Response to Bombing Incidents on Thursday and Friday, November 3 & 4, 2016. This two day training is free and open to all emergency response disciplines. Breakfast and lunch will be provided each day.

We had a great class. Thanks to everyone who attended. 

Medical Preparedness and Response to Bombing Incidents Training addresses medical preparedness for and response to blast effects through a combination of lectures, small group activities and tabletop participant exercises. Participants completing this course will gain an enhanced understanding and awareness of issues and considerations relating to bombing incidents. Content areas include identification of targets, explosives characteristics, pre-attack indicators, pre- and post-detonation response, bombing injuries, security, and resource management.

This course is designed for personnel from any professional background who may become part of a community response to a bombing event. This interactive, instructor-facilitated program employs case studies and research-based information designed to enhance medical preparedness for and response to blast effects. Breakout sessions address considerations and concerns specific both to medical responders and emergency planners.

This training represents a cooperative effort between New Mexico Tech’s Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center (NMT/EMRTC) and the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service’s National Emergency Response and Rescue Training Center (TEEX/NERRTC), a member of The Texas A&M University System. To register complete the form at the bottom of this page.

Topics:

  • Terrorism target identification
  • Types of terrorism
  • Explosive characteristics and behaviors
  • Homemade explosives
  • Pre-attack indicators
  • Blast injuries types and treatment
  • Mass casualty triage
  • Pre- and post-detonation response
  • Planning considerations
  • Command considerations
  • Understanding local/state/federal resources
  • Case studies
  • Integrated tabletop exercise
  • Audience

Recommended Audience:

  • Fire Services
  • Law Enforcement (federal, state, local, county)
  • SWAT/ Special Response team members
  • Tactical Medics
  • Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
  • Hospital personnel
  • Physicians
  • Nurses
  • Emergency management organizations
  • Emergency managers and planners
  • City Medical / Public Health
  • County Medical / Public Health
  • State Medical / Public Health
  • Federal Medical / Public Health
  • Private Industry
  • Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT)
  • Dispatchers

Prerequisites

FEMA / SID Number Students must register and bring a copy of their SID number to class. Register online: cdp.dhs.gov/femasid

CE Credits

This course is approved and accredited for continuing education hours from:

ENA- Emergency Nurses Association

AAFP – America Academy of Family Physicians

OEMS – Office of Emergency Medical Services

Location

University of Massachusetts Campus Center

One Campus Center Way

Amherst, MA

Time: Registration will begin at 8:15 am and light breakfast buffet will be available. Course will begin promptly at 9am and end at 5pm each day.

Hadley Farms Meeting House, 41 Russell Street (Rt. 9), Hadley MA

8:00 am to 4:30 pm

The Western Region Homeland Security Advisory Council will host a Pediatric Psychological First Aid (PFA) Training on Wednesday, June 22, 2016 at the Hadley Farms Meeting  House in Hadley, MA. This training is an initiative of WRHSAC’s Children in Disasters: Keeping Kids Safe project.

Pediatric Psychological First Aid (PFA) is an evidence informed approach for assisting children and adolescents in the aftermath of disasters and terrorism.

This course will be facilitated by members of PFA International, including  Dr. Kermit Crawford, Director of the Center for Multicultural Mental Health, Boston; Dr. Shamaila Khan, Director of Behavioral Health Services, Massachusetts Resiliency Center, Boston; and Dr. Russell T. Jones, from Virginia Tech University, a specialist in working with traumatized children.

This training is appropriate for first responders, all school staff especially teachers & nurses, hospital staff, counselors & therapists, day care providers, faith-based members, and others who interact with children, infants through teenagers, on a regular basis.

Handlers and nationally certified comfort dogs from HOPE: Animal Assisted Crisis Response will be attending. WRHSAC is grateful for their participation.

This training is free.  A light breakfast and full lunch will be provided. On-site registration begins at 8am. The training will begin promptly at 9am.

We encourage you to register soon as course size is limited to 100. The course is expected to fill quickly. Registration is open to individuals from western Massachusetts. A waitlist will be started once the course if full.

OEMS credits (7 hours) have been approved for all levels of EMT. Nursing CEUs are pending.

This training is full. Thank you for your interest. 

Interactive Resource Map

WRHSAC has updated our interactive resource/equipment map. This online map provides quick information regarding WRHSAC purchased equipment, including a brief description of the equipment, equipment location, and contact information to borrow the equipment. You can filter displayed equipment by location or by equipment type.

The interactive map is a great tool to use to become familiar with all the equipment that is available to be borrowed throughout western Massachusetts. The equipment is free to borrow, however some expenses may be incurred to replace used fuel, anything damaged, and anything considered expendable. Full borrowing information can be found in the downloadable resource guide. 

NBREPC wins FEMA award

Our friends and partners of the Northern Berkshire Regional Emergency Planning Committee received an FEMA 2015 Individual and Community Preparedness Heroes Award for their regional based work. Members of the REPC went to Washington DC to receive the award.

In the nomination application for the award, NBREPC acknowledges their work with the Western Region Homeland Security Advisory Council and specifically the Multi-Agency Coordination Center (MACC) project. NBREPC is the first organization in western Mass to adopt the MACC concept. They have activated the MACC several times in North Berkshire in response to incidents in their area.

Check out the iBerkshires article for more information and some pictures.

Hadley Farms Meeting House, 41 Russell Street Hadley, MA

8:00am to 4:00pm

WRHSAC & Mass Dept of Public Health present:
Children in Disasters Conference 2015 “Keeping Kids Safe”

This groundbreaking conference is designed for all emergency response professionals, planners and other professionals in western Massachusetts, who need to consider the safety and well-being of children as they plan for, respond to and recover from any all-hazard incident, disaster or event. We encourage Emergency Management Directors, Public Health officials, Mental Health providers, Physicians, Child Care providers, District Attorneys, and representatives from local Schools, Fire Departments, Police Departments, Emergency Medical Services, Hospitals, Community & Youth Organizations, and Faith-based Organizations to attend. Several nationally recognized speakers will present exciting information and lessons learned. Networking and audience participation will be key components of the day.

The conference is a kick-off event for a multi-phase WRHSAC project “Children In Disasters – Emergency Preparedness”. Using significant guidance from the speakers and conference attendees, WRHSAC will prioritize next steps for the region in this important area of whole community emergency preparedness. Your participation is vital to identifying these next steps.

Registration is closed for this event. Thank you for your interest!

Conference Presentations for download:

Speakers & Topics

“Children in Disasters” presented by Richard Serino. The Honorable Richard Serino is currently a “Distinguished Visiting Fellow” at Harvard University, National Preparedness Leadership Initiative and a Senior Advisor at MIT’s Urban Risk Lab. Mr. Serino was appointed by President Obama and confirmed by the Senate as the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s 8th Deputy Administrator in October 2009 and served until 2014. Mr. Serino was on scene at the Boston Marathon bombings in 2013 as the highest-ranking official of the U. S. Department of Homeland Security. Prior to his appointment as Deputy Administrator, he served as Chief of Boston Emergency Medical System and Assistant Director of the Boston Public Health Commission. Mr. Serino has received numerous local, national and international awards for heroism, leadership and innovation. Mr. Serino will speak from his many years of experience in response to all-hazard incidents and the direct impact these incidents have on children. He will provide ideas for best practices and note necessary areas of preparedness relationships and planning to meet the needs of children in disasters.

“Re-uniting Families” presented by Sarita Chung, MD. Dr. Chung is Director, Disaster Preparedness Division of Emergency Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School. She is a member of the Disaster Preparedness Advisory Council for the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Red Cross Scientific Advisory Council, as well as an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard School of Medicine. She is actively involved in all aspects of pediatric emergency preparedness and response, including research, teaching and clinical care. She graduated with honors from the Department of Electrical Engineering, North Carolina State University and received her MD from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Most importantly, Dr. Chung is the proud mother of three children (ages 13, 9 and 2).Dr. Chung will speak about re-uniting families following an all-hazard incident. She will share best practices from her direct experience and expertise.

“Role Models of Resilience: Building Hope from Despair” presented by John Woodall, MD/Psychiatrist. Dr. Woodall is Founder and Director of The Unity Project. Formerly of the faculty of Harvard Medical School, he is a Board Certified psychiatrist with a special expertise in posttraumatic stress disorder and resilience. He is Co-Founder of the Healing Arts Project working with New York City’s Department of Youth and Community Development after 9/11 to build resilience in the city’s children and developed similar resilience building programming in New Orleans and Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina and in northern Uganda working with former child soldiers. Since the Newtown tragedy, he has launched a series of resilience building efforts there. He is the Director of the Center for Global Mental Health and Resilience at Western Connecticut Health Network. Per Dr. Woodall – Resilience arises from our own vast reservoir of potential talent, what we call our “dignity.” Dr. Woodall’s presentation is on how to bring out, unite around and mobilize that dignity on a large scale. Using examples from large scale efforts to build resilient communities throughout the world, Dr. Woodall will show that the struggles of life do not have to make us victims or psychological casualties, but can be the fuel to help us become beacons of hope and role models of resilience. Practical tools will be offered to help participants’ efforts to build resilience in their communities.

“Children with Complex Medical Needs” by Deborah Clapp, BA, NREMT-P. Ms. Clapp is Program Manager of the MDPH EMS for Children Project, is a nationally-registered and Massachusetts state-certified Paramedic and Instructor-Coordinator. Prior to accepting the EMSC Manager position in 2007 she served as Department Chair and Program Director of the Greenfield Community College EMS Department and Paramedic Certificate Program for 9 years. She worked in Western Massachusetts for over 20 years as an EMT, Paramedic, Supervisor, Agency Manager, Ambulance Operations Director and film industry Set Medic following her initial certification as an EMS provider in 1984. Ms. Clapp holds numerous instructor credentials and is a frequent presenter at programs and workshops for healthcare providers and child-serving agency professionals. She is a subject matter expert in childhood injury prevention for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the Massachusetts Child Fatality Review Team and served on the Governor’s Task Force on Children in Disasters in 2012/13. She also serves as the state liaison to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Ms. Clapp will speak about an array of complex medical needs of children and considerations for preparedness and response.
“Cultural Competency” by Olivia Peters, RN. Ms. Peters is the Regional Coordinator for the Division of Global Populations & Infectious Disease Prevention. Ms. Peters will provide an overview of western MA demographics related to the immigrant/refugee population, provide general information about differences between refugees and immigrants and their differing needs, explain general cultural considerations related to intervention and sheltering of different cultural groups, discuss concerns around use of children as translators and the effects of disasters as re-traumatizing events for child refugees/immigrants, and most importantly she will suggest resources for networking ahead of time as well as during/after an event.

Hotel Northampton, Northampton, MA

8:00am to 4:00pm

Using a Joint Information System to Support Response

The Second in a Series of Interactive Training Workshops for Experienced Public Information Officers

Facilitated by Susan Santos, PhD, MS, national expert in Risk Communications and Public Information and Burt Peretsky, FOCUS GROUP Consultants

Recent emergencies and exercises in the region have demonstrated the critical need to coordinate information across agencies and jurisdictions. This advanced level Public Information Officer (PIO) training builds on previous basic public information training workshops hosted by WRHSAC and MEMA. It is intended for trained and/or experienced PIOs from all response organizations including police, fire, selectboards/mayors, public health, hospitals, colleges/universities, and EMS.

The workshop will focus on the key elements of a Joint Information System/Center, including:

  • Importance of a JIS/JIC in today’s world of instant media
  • Forming and using a JIS/JIC
  • Role of the Public Information Officer in a JIS/JIC
  • Social media monitoring and rumor control
  • Use of JIS/JIC model to develop and present timely, coordinated, and accurate messaging in response to a simulated emergency.

To ensure time for practice and performance review, the workshop is limited to 30 qualified participants who are recommended or sponsored by a Local/Regional Emergency Planning Committee, Public Health Coalition, Hospital Coordinating Group, MMRS, Chief Elected Official or Responder Agency head.

There will be a rolling admissions process with all registrants initially waitlisted, so event planners can ensure that all counties and disciplines are effectively represented and can simulate a regional Joint Information System.

This training builds on plans recently developed by WRHSAC for a Multi-Agency Coordination Center (MACC).  The MACC Concept of Operations includes a Joint Information System to help coordinate timely and accurate messages across agencies, communities and regions. The MACC model is in the process of being adopted in Berkshire County and will be introduced over the next several years in Franklin, Hampshire and Hampden Counties. The MACC PIO Standard Operating Guidelines are here for your review.

The training will be held on Thursday, June 18, 2015 at the Hotel Northampton, Northampton MA. Registration and breakfast from 8am to 8:45am. The Welcome and training will begin at 8:45 and run to 4:00pm. Lunch will be provided. The training is free thanks to funding from the Western Region Homeland Security Council and the Hampshire and Hampden Public Health Coalitions.

Registration is closed for this training. 

Helpful Resources:

Public Health Region 1 PIO SOG

And some PIO Training videos: