Trained volunteers are effective volunteers. They are trained to understand the intricacies of helping those whose lives have been altered by adversity.
The Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services Training Program provides educational tools for volunteers and personnel of The Salvation Army, as well as other non-profit organizations involved in disaster relief, to meet the needs of individuals at a disaster. The intent of our training program is to ensure that all disaster responders have quality training, which will assist in developing their skills and knowledge, so they are prepared to respond to disasters in a prompt, efficient and effective manner.
The National Disaster Training Program is designed to be comprehensive, encompassing different disaster related topics. These courses are available to anyone interested, keeping in mind that there are prerequisites for certain courses. Each training course includes a participant's manual and visual aides such as interactive DVDs, videos or CD ROMS. The classroom is filed with interaction and discussion to make learning real and relevant to your world.
Four Divisions comprise The Salvation Army EDS Curriculum:
- National Disaster Training Program Courses (NDTP)
- Critical Incident Stress Management Courses (CISM)
- Medic FirstAid Courses
- Other-than-NDTP disaster courses offered through other institutions or organizations that are approved by The Salvation Army's Eastern Territorial Office
NATIONAL DISASTER TRAINING PROGRAM (NDTP)
Introduction to Emergency Disaster Services - Deployment Version One 4-hour session
This course answers a series of questions: Who is The Salvation Army? When was the Army established and how does its mission tie to the work of the Emergency Disaster Services? How is The Salvation Army organized to respond to emergencies?
Introduction to Emergency Disaster Services & nbsp; One 8-hour session
This course provides participants with an overview of The Salvation Army's mission and the disaster response and recovery phases of any event. How is EDS related to local, state, and federal governmental agencies such as FEMA or DHS? It also covers how disaster-workers can best prepare and equip themselves for a disaster relief operation deployment.
Preparing Your Congregation for Disaster & nbsp; 8 hours
This course provides roles for worship centers when preparing individuals, congregations, and communities to respond to disasters and when providing disaster relief services. It also explains how to develop a congregational response team.
Introduction to Disaster Food Services: Handling and Delivery & nbsp; 8-hours
This course trains disaster workers to efficiently and sanitarily handle and serve food during a disaster operation. Participants learn practical skills to prepare them to participate in Mobile Feeding Units- canteens.
Disaster Social Services & nbsp; 8-hours
Preq: Individuals with background in social services This one-day course assists in understanding the interweaving of skills acquired prior to a disaster with The Salvation Army's mission, philosophy of social services, and practices at a disaster site-during the initial response and during recovery. Interviewing clients, filing forms and determining eligibility, and interacting with local, state, and federal government agencies based on The Salvation Army standards included.
Incident Command Systems (ICS) &nbs p; 8-hours
This course provides participants with a general orientation to The Salvation Army Incident Command System (ICS) at a disaster site. Participants learn how ICS is used to command, control, and coordinate disaster relief operations on site with the maximum efficiency, how to coordinate their efforts with other territories and divisions, and how to handle interfacing issues with co-responding individuals/agencies-local, state, and federal.