Main Topics Covered in this Course Include:
- When to Use
SafeResponse has developed this on-line program on Unified Command for personnel working for federal, state, and local government agencies. This includes law enforcement personnel, fire and Emergency Medical Services personnel
Main Topics Covered in this Course Include:
- When to Use
SafeResponse has developed this on-line program on Unified Command for personnel working for federal, state, and local government agencies. This includes law enforcement personnel, fire and Emergency Medical Services personnel, and others who may be first on the scene of a hazardous materials (Hazmat) emergency.
When your agency responds to a hazardous materials emergency, the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) and state OSHA laws require that your agency use an Incident Command System (ICS). (Before taking this program on Unified Command Awareness, you must complete the Incident Command System Awareness program.)
For those situations when a hazardous materials emergency requires the response efforts of several agencies, OSHA, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the National Response Team have adopted the principle of Unified Command. Unified Command brings together the Incident Commanders of all major agencies involved in the incident in order to coordinate a more effective response.
Certificates of completion can be printed by the participant once a 70% or greater score is achieved. The participant may take the quiz as many times as necessary in order to reach the 70% mark. In order to meet OSHA requirements, a representative from your agency will need to certify your participation by signing the certificate. In order to be certified, all participants must also complete the required information within the registration process that follows. In addition, each participant must complete the training on an individual basis. If you ask someone else to go through the program for you, you will not learn the information that will be necessary to protect your health and safety. This will render your certificate null and void.
OSHA’s standard on Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) requires the use of an Incident Command System when responding to hazardous materials incidents. Although the HAZWOPER standard does not refer specifically to Unified Command, several federal agencies, including OSHA, have endorsed its use.
- OSHA states, “Unified Command is a necessary tool for managing multi-jurisdictional responses to oil spills or hazardous substance releases.”
- The National Response Team advocates the Incident Command System and Unified Command as effective tool for managing both large and small incidents.
- On February 28, 2003, the President issued Homeland Security Presidential Directive HSPD-5, which directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to develop and administer a National Incident Management System (NIMS).
- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, in announcing approval of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) states, “To ensure further coordination, the principle of unified command has been universally incorporated into NIMS.”
In this course, you will learn how your agency can work with other agencies in implementing a Unified Command approach. When you have completed this course, you will not be certified as an Incident Commander. However, you will be able to function within the Incident Command System/Unified Command when multiple agencies are involved.
Getting the Most out of the Program:
- Before starting the course, click on each Section Tab at the top of the Introduction page. This will tell you how the course is organized.
- You do not need to complete the course in one session. Plan 20 to 30 minute blocks of time for each module.
- This course should take (on average) 3 hours to complete. Use this number if you are required to track time spent during training.
- Use the “Stop” link on the left hand side of the page to mark your place before leaving the course. When restarting a session, it will be helpful to back track to the end of the previous module to review the summary before you start on the new module.
- You should try to complete an entire module before ending your session. Also, if your computer system crashes during your session, you may have to start your current module all over again when you return.
- Each of the modules of this course has a summary and questions at the end. Completing these questions will reinforce what you have learned.
- At the end of the course, you will have to take complete the “check for understanding”. In order to receive a certif