At my VFD we were all told that we had to take the IS-100 online FEMA course as a requirement. I was curious how many others here have had to do it (I understand it is pretty quick) and what other online FEMA courses people have completed? Would any of them be helpful looking for a job? Although I volunteer as a basic I am hoping to find some part time work to help pay for college/beer money. Also I heard through some other FFs and Basics that DHS has online courses too which may be useful.
In recent years, the various ICS (NIMS/SEMS) courses have become pretty much mandatory nationally due to a general failure previously for various agencies to operate on the same incidents with any structure that could be called organized.The feds laid out the "recommendation" that all public service/emergency service agencies have all personnel get ICS certification. Of course that recomendation came with the undertone that agencies that did not comply might be denied federal grants/funding. So, despite the fact that some states have been using the same ICS system for decades, now an actual certification is required based on a "new" NIMS/SEMS Course (same ICS... new name).
In all honesty, EVERYONE in public/emergency serives should have ICS training and certification, since the ICS system is the greatest proven management system for any emergency or event; it turns a Katrina Response into a CA Wildfire Response... the one thing CA does right... ^_^. Around here everyone seems to be required to have ICS 200/700 at minimum; Ambulance, Fire, LEOs, Forest Service, SAR, Corrections Officers, Security Guards, Utility Workers for Local Municipalities, School Officials, and even Transit Workers (bus drivers)... basically, anyone who may find themselves (officially) involved in an actual large scale emergency.
Online is the easiest wasy to get ICS Certification, although what you will be learning is dry and boring as hell, and the only way to really understands how to operate in the ICS is to actually be part of it on incidents; reading about it as you try to stay awake only goes so far. Take IS100, IS200, IS700, and IS800 at minimum and then (if you so desire) take a look at FEMS's other IS Courses and see if any look interesting or useful to you. In addition to those courses, I have also taken the various courses that pertain to disasters involving animals (due to my background there) and SAR specific courses (which there are several new courses they have out). The information is interesting from a incident management standpoint, but any certification you get from FEMA (past the required ones) probably isn't gonna WOW any perspective employers or get you a raise...
) it makes things a lot clearer in terms of how we organize our FD's responses on a call to call basis. I'm surprised they don't actually condense those courses into one long one and teach it at the State or County level for emergency personnel. I really understand how it factors into liability now, especially with Katrina like you said.
