Two captains from the Statesville Fire Department recently completed a series of training courses through the Center for Domestic Preparedness in Anniston, Ala.
Capts. John Perry and Farrell Long attended the training, which is operated by the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The CDP delivers advanced training for emergency responders in a variety of areas such as hazardous materials, weapons of mass destruction, incident management, mass casualty response and emergency response to a catastrophic natural disaster or terrorist attack.
Perry and Long, both veteran firefighters, said the training left them better prepared for handling such incidents and made them more aware of the possibility of such cases.
“The training that I received at the CDP was invaluable,” Perry said. “The program was exceedingly well organized, extremely comprehensive and all the instructors are experts in their fields. I was impressed by the vastness of the topics covered and the hands-on training I received.”
Long called the training one of the best he’s taken part in during his career.
“The training … was a great experience and second to none,” he said.
Long said the training gave him the opportunity to train with other emergency responders from across the country and to learn about other areas of the hazardous materials field.
Both Long and Perry said the training gave them an added level of confidence in the equipment they wear and use in such situations.
“I gained confidence in the suits and other tools we use in detecting the presence of (hazardous materials) or possible agents used by terrorists,” Long said.
Perry added, “After attending the course, I have a lot more confidence in my personal protective equipment (PPE) that I wear. There’s a lot more information on weapons of mass destruction. I feel that I have a better awareness about the threats and how to protect the public, as well as how to stay prepared and respond if something happens.”
Long said he believes any emergency responder who deals with hazardous materials should look into the training opportunities provided by the CDP.
The cost for attending this training was almost completely covered by FEMA.
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