Now Available 

2008 DHS-Compliant AHIMT Training

and Support for the May 1 HSGP Application Deadline

 

Oakhurst, CA  April 15, 2008 – The Incident Management Training Consortium (IMTC) today announced the first complete DHS-compliant ICS All Hazard Incident Management Training curriculum, as well as special application support for agencies wanting to fund their ICS training programs through the 2008 Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) applications due May 1.

“Until now 2008 DHS-compliant ICS All-Hazard Training courses have not been available,” says Jon Olney, a principal in IMTC.  “In fact, ICS has been one of the most confusing areas for training coordinators and emergency managers, because national standards and clear requirements were only recently finalized.”   IMTC instructors worked with DHS as content experts to develop the current 2008-2009 ICS training standards.

According to Olney, the new curriculum represents a significant shift in training focus, delivering new content, clear standards and, for the first time, a cohesive path for achieving compliance that training coordinators, planners, and managers can follow.

While training managers have been trying to comply with DHS requirements after the passage of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, many have unknowingly proceeded with unapproved plans, used non-compliant courses or non-qualified instructors.  “These standards and the courses we are presenting based on these new 2008 standards can eliminate the hodgepodge of expensive, but disconnected training that managers have had to use,” says Olney.  “Now, there is a simpler, direct, and effective way to create the full-functioning, field-certified, DHS-compliant all-hazard teams that managers are trying to develop for their communities.”

2008 DHS standards now require that training providers teach ICS courses that meet the new guidelines and that only DHS-recognized instructors can be used.  Once those criteria have been met, training managers should select their provider based on their community needs: a single course for an individual or for a small group of personnel?  Multiple individual classes or a group of aligned courses?  Or a cohesive long-term training initiative?

National Emergency Responder Credentialing System
Any jurisdiction developing an All-Hazard Incident Management Team should be familiar with these guidelines, the latest from the National Integration Center/ Incident Management Systems Integration (NIC/IMSI) Division that is responsible for the National Emergency Responder Credentialing System (NERCS).  This document presents the minimum training, education, and experience guidelines for specific emergency response personnel and ICS functional positions.  The system is being developed by the Incident Management Working Group of FEMA/DHS, and the January 2008 draft has been released for comments.

 

HELP AVAILABLE FOR MAY 1, 2008 HSGP GRANT APPLICATION DEADLINE

The Homeland Security Grant Program has a May 1, 2008 application deadline for almost $1.7 billion through four grant programs, and the DHS standards for training were released less than 3 months before the May 1 application deadline for grant funding.  NIMS/ICS training has also been identified as an area of emphasis for DHS, and 2008 HSGP funds can be used to pay for NIMS/ICS training.  IMTC is providing complimentary consulting support to help agencies meet the looming application deadline.  DHS documents relevant to the grant application are available at the IMTC Download Center at www.imtcllc.com/download.  For confidential emergency HSGP support services with no cost or obligation, please call Dana Hays at 559-683-7800 or email dana.hays@imtcllc.com.    

 

About IMTC

IMTC was founded in 2003 by veterans of global emergency management situations who understand the impressive power that productive training can have in the field and who have been engaged in the use of the Incident Command System since its initial development in the fire service over 30 years ago.

IMTC faculty, now the largest DHS-recognized NIMS/ICS training staff in the country, have set the national standard for NIMS/ICS training. They include the finest subject matter experts who have created the current DHS training curricula.

IMTC has also incorporated its special knowledge into a formal set of best instructional practices that are now standard operating procedure within the organization, setting a standard for the NIMS/ICS training industry.

 

 

Press Contact:

Pat Browns or Jeff Hensley

559 435 4411

jeff@hensleynet.com or pat@hensleynet.com