DISASTER COURSES

National Disaster Training Program

Trained volunteers are effective volunteers. During a disaster, The Salvation Army relies upon trained disaster workers to coordinate emergency relief operations and deliver fast, efficient service to disaster survivors. The Salvation Army's national disaster training program includes courses developed by The Salvation Army and training certified by other partner organizations whose technical expertise is nationally recognized in a given field.

Disaster training courses are rated according to difficulty; the higher the difficulty level, the more complex the knowledge presented.
	Basic training accessible to most disaster workers; includes general information and skill development.
	Intermediate training for experienced disaster workers; information is technical but applicable to a broad number of disciplines.
	Advanced training in specialized functions for experienced disaster workers; information is technical, specific to certain job or responsibility, and assumes the participant understands disaster terminology and principles.

Salvation Army Disaster Training

The goal of The Salvation Army's disaster training program is to equip individuals to serve during times of crisis. Courses are conducted in a stress-free classroom environment that emphasizes group interaction and cooperative learning. The Salvation Army's national disaster training program was inaugurated in 2004 through generous support from the Lilly Endowment.

Community And Government	Difficulty Level:	4 Hour session
This course will give the participant basic information about how The Salvation Army interfaces with government, community, and faith-based organizations. Information and tools to improve communication and collaborative skills will be provided to encourage and enhance working with partners.
Who Should Take This Course: This course is designed for new disaster workers and introduces the fundamentals of emergency management. Anyone interested in a better understanding of how emergency management works within the United States should take this course. This course is also an essential starting point for anyone in interested in serving as a Liaison Officer on a Salvation Army disaster operation.
Disaster Food Services: Handling and Delivery	Difficulty Level:	8 Hour session
The cornerstone of The Salvation Army's disaster program is mass feeding. This course prepares participants to serve on a Salvation Army mobile kitchen and introduces them to the essentials of safe and sanitary food preparation. This course incorporates ServSafe® food safety standards.
Who Should Take This Course: Any disaster worker wanting to serve in mass feeding
Prerequisites: Intro to The Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services
Disaster Social Services	Difficulty Level:	8 Hour session
This course is designed for supervisors working within the disaster social services function. The course will examine the role of disaster social services within a disaster operation, including its position within the Incident Command System (ICS) and connections with other disaster relief providers in the larger sequence of service delivery. Participants will learn five essential steps to setting up a disaster social services program and apply that knowledge in a table-top exercise that simulates setting up a Salvation Army Disaster Assistance Center (DAC). The course will conclude with an introduction to long-term recovery and an exercise that simulates participation in a long-term recovery / unmet needs committee.
Who Should Take This Course:
Prerequisites: Intro to The Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services
Prerequisites: Emergency Assistance in Disaster Operations
Emergency Assistance in Disaster Operations	Difficulty Level:	8 Hour session
This course is designed to train disaster workers and social workers to serve as disaster caseworkers during a disaster relief operation. Participants will learn practical skills such as interviewing clients, filing forms and determining eligibility based upon The Salvation Army standards.
Who Should Take This Course: Disaster and social workers interested in serving as caseworkers on a disaster relief operation
Prerequisites: Intro to The Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services
Emotional and Spiritual Care in Disaster Operations	Difficulty Level:	16 Hour session
The purpose of this advanced level course is to enhance the skills of clergy, chaplains, mental health professionals, and trained crisis responders to provide effective emotional and spiritual care (ESC) to meet the disaster-related needs of disaster responders and disaster affected families and individuals within disaster operations. This course builds on the crisis intervention principles taught in the Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) core courses to effectively integrate these principles within ESC teams for appropriate care throughout the disaster continuum from the immediate to long-term recovery process. This course examines the unique ministry The Salvation Army offers during a disaster event and identifies appropriate spiritual care support techniques for traumatized disaster survivor.
Who Should Take This Course: Targeted participants will be trained clergy, chaplains, mental health professionals, and CISM trained crisis responders who desire to enhance their skills in providing ESC to survivors of disaster and trauma.
Prerequisites: Intro to The Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services
Prerequisites: Incident Command System
Finance & Administration	Difficulty Level:	8 Hour session
This course prepares participants to work within the Finance & Administration function of the Incident Command System. Participants will learn how to manage reports, request and deploy personnel, and how to report statistics.
Who Should Take This Course: Disaster workers interested in serving in the Finance & Administration function.
Prerequisites: Intro to The Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services
Prerequisites: Incident Command System
Foundations of Emotional and Spiritual Care	Difficulty Level:	4 Hour session
This course is designed to provide a basic understanding of emotional and spiritual care within The Salvation Army's emergency disaster services program. The course provides participants with an overview of The Salvation Army's mission and the importance of the "Ministry of Presence", as a tool used in disaster work. Participants will be encouraged to seek other training to develop additional skills and a greater understanding of emotional and spiritual care.
Who Should Take This Course:
Prerequisites: Intro to The Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services
Incident Command System	Difficulty Level:	8 Hour session
This course provides participants with a general orientation to The Salvation Army Incident Command System (ICS) and explains how it is used to command, control and coordinate disaster relief operations.
Who Should Take This Course: All disaster workers interested in serving in a supervisory position within a Salvation Army disaster relief operation.
Prerequisites: Intro to The Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services
Available in Spanish
Intro to The Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services	Difficulty Level:	4 Hour session
This course is designed for new disaster workers who have limited disaster experience and who have just begun their association with The Salvation Army's emergency disaster services program. The course provides participants with an overview of The Salvation Army's mission and its role within disaster work. Participants will also be taught how to prepare and equip themselves for a disaster deployment.
Who Should Take This Course: All disaster workers, The Salvation Army officers, employees, and staff
Available in Spanish
Liaison 1: Understanding Emergency Management & Whole Community	Difficulty Level:	8 Hour session
In order to be effective during a disaster, it is critical that every disaster worker understand that there is already a "system" in place to manage disaster operations. This "emergency management system" is a network that includes government agencies, non-profit charities, voluntary organizations, the private sector, the media, and the general public. This course provides a broad overview of how emergency management operates within the United States and explains how The Salvation Army and other members of the community connect appropriately into this emergency management system.
Who Should Take This Course: This course is designed for new disaster workers and introduces the fundamentals of emergency management. Anyone interested in a better understanding of how emergency management works within the United States should take this course. This course is also an essential starting point for anyone in interested in serving as a Liaison Officer on a Salvation Army disaster operation.
Prerequisites: Intro to The Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services
Liaison Officer	Difficulty Level:	8 Hour session
This course prepares participants to serve as a Liaison Officer within the Liaison function of the Incident Command System. Participants will learn how to interact with government and voluntary partners and examine the role of an Emergency Operations Center during a disaster.
Who Should Take This Course: Disaster workers interested in serving in the Liaison function.
Prerequisites: Intro to The Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services
Prerequisites: Incident Command System
Ministry of Presence	Difficulty Level:	4 Hour session
The Salvation Army disaster service is more than just physical care; it also emotional and spiritual support. This course will explore appropriate emotional and spiritual care from its most basic level of "just being there" to the deeper aspects of pastoral counseling and referral. This is a highly interactive course that will both challenge and help participants to care for both others and themselves during a disaster deployment.
Who Should Take This Course: This course is designed for new disaster workers who are interested in understanding the basic principles of responsible and appropriate emotional and spiritual care on disaster operations. The target audience includes anyone who is interested in emotional and spiritual and is not limited to clergy.
Prerequisites: Intro to The Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services
Planning Section	Difficulty Level:	8 Hour session
This course has been developed to provide advanced level training for those interested in serving in the Salvation Army's Planning Section within the Incident Command System. The course provides participants with an in-depth look at the role of the Planning Chief and the intricacies of the roles and responsibilities of the Planning Section participants will also be taught how to use the various tools and forms associated with this role.
Who Should Take This Course: Experienced disaster workers interested in working in the Planning section.
Prerequisites: Intro to The Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services
Prerequisites: Incident Command System
Preparing Together	Difficulty Level:	4 Hour session
A Preparedness Initiative for Seniors and People With Disabilities. Preparing Together is a volunteer driven initiative designed to assist senior citizens and people with disabilities in developing a personalized disaster preparedness plan. The course covers specific issues and preparedness needs related to both seniors and those with disabilities and cultivates volunteers to reach out to vulnerable populations through church groups, service clubs and community groups. click here for more information
Who Should Take This Course: Anyone interested in helping seniors or people with special needs prepare for an emergency, including faith and community leaders with the capacity to mobilize volunteers.
Preparing Your Congregation for Disaster	Difficulty Level:	8 Hour session
Designed for Christian faith leaders, this course is designed for churches and other faith organizations looking to start a disaster preparedness and response program. The course reviews key concepts in emergency management. It also examines the responsibility of faith organizations in preparing their members and facilities for an emergency and how to effectively develop a disaster response plan to serve others.
Who Should Take This Course: Faith-leaders interested in preparing their church and congregation for a disaster.
Available in Spanish
Public Information Officer	Difficulty Level:	8 Hour session
This course trains participants to serve as Public Information Officer in the Public Information function during a Salvation Army disaster relief operation and to effectively communicate "The Salvation Army's story" to both internal and external media.
Who Should Take This Course: Disaster workers and public relations professionals responsible for serving in the Public Information function.
Prerequisites: Intro to The Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services
Prerequisites: Incident Command System
Safety Officer	Difficulty Level:	8 Hour session
This course trains participants to serve as Safety Officer within the Incident Command System during a Salvation Army disaster relief operation. Participants will be trained to assess safety and risks within an operation and techniques to mitigate those risks. Accident prevention will be stressed.
Who Should Take This Course: Disaster workers and risk management professionals responsible for serving in the Safety function.
Prerequisites: Intro to The Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services
Prerequisites: Incident Command System
Telling The Story: Basic Public Information	Difficulty Level:	4 Hour session
The course is designed to introduce participants to the essentials of the public information function. Disasters generate intense interest from the media, the general public, our donors and our volunteers. Disseminating accurate information — particularly in the first 24-hours after an incident — is essential. This course will cover the basics of good public relations, and discuss strategies for developing positive media relationships. Participants will also get to practice essential P.R. skills such as writing
Who Should Take This Course: Disaster workers interested in serving as Public Information specialists or anyone who may serve as a media spokesperson on a disaster operation.
Prerequisites: Intro to The Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services
Train the Trainer	Difficulty Level:	16 Hour session
This course trains participants to serve as instructors within The Salvation Army's National Disaster Training Program (NDTP). The course stresses effective teaching techniques and how to facilitate an effective group learning environment. The class includes opportunities for participants to "practice" teach.
Who Should Take This Course: Disaster workers seeking to qualify as a disaster training program instructor.
Prerequisites: Intro to The Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services
Volunteer Management	Difficulty Level:	8 Hour session
This course will train participants to serve as a Salvation Army volunteer coordinator within the Finance and Administration function during a disaster relief operation. It also looks at critical issues in volunteer management, such as how to effectively coordinate spontaneous volunteers.
Who Should Take This Course: Disaster workers interested in serving in the Finance & Administration function as a Volunteer Coordinator.
Prerequisites: Intro to The Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services
Prerequisites: Incident Command System

Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) 

The Salvation Army has partnered with the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, Inc. to provide certified critical incident stress management (CISM) training. ICISF is dedicated to the prevention and mitigation of disabling stress through the provision of education, training and support services for all emergency services professions; continuing education and training in emergency mental health services; and consultation in the establishment of crisis and disaster response programs for varied organizations and communities worldwide.

Advanced Group Crisis Intervention	Difficulty Level:	14 Hour session
This course provides participants with the latest information on critical incident stress management techniques and post-trauma syndromes. It builds on the knowledge base which was obtained in the Group Crisis Intervention program. It emphasizes advanced defusing and debriefing in complex situations.
Who Should Take This Course: Emotional and Spiritual Care Officers, Disaster workers who are already trained in the critical incident stress debriefing format, chaplains, mental health professionals, EAP, human resources and public safety personnel, emergency medical services providers, firefighters, physicians, police officers, nurses, dispatchers and airline personnel. It will also be useful for those working extensively with traumatized victims for various walks of life.
Prerequisites: Group Crisis Intervention
Compassion Fatigue	Difficulty Level:	14 Hour session
This workshop involves hands on solutions which can make a dramatic difference in the professional and private lives of those working with and around trauma. It is an intensive learning experience relating to all aspects of the care giver's life and the critical work they are being asked to do. It impacts the emotional, psychological, physical, social and spiritual well being of the individual. It offers an understanding of how these areas are affected by the work they are doing and tools to prevent and treat any negative effects of this critical work.
Who Should Take This Course:
Grief Following Trauma	Difficulty Level:	14 Hour session
This Course Is Designed To Help People Develop A Basic Understanding Of How To Help Grieving People Following Trauma. Course Content Includes How To Identify Characteristics Of Trauma And Traumatic Events, The Normalcy Of Traumatic Grief Reactions, Learn Helpful Death Notification And Body Identification Techniques, Become Skilled At Identifying Warning Signs Of Complications, And Learn The Importance Of Early Interventions And Support Utilizing The Safer-r Model. Participants Will Increase Their Knowledge Of How Trauma Impacts The Grief Process And Will Gain Skills For Evaluating And Supporting Persons Who Have Experienced Traumatic Loss. Upon Completion, Participants Will Be Able To: Identify Types Of Traumatic Events And The Characteristics Of Trauma And Grief; Describe Normal Responses To Trauma And Normal Grief Responses; Describe Factors That May Complicate The Traumatic Grief Process; Learn Practical And Effective Methods Of Death Notification And Preparation For Body Identification; Identify The Primary Needs Of People Experiencing Grief Following Trauma; Outline Techniques For Supporting People Grieving A Trauma; And Self-care Assessment And Techniques.
Who Should Take This Course: Targeted participants will be trained clergy, chaplains, mental health professionals, and CISM trained crisis responders who work with people who experience grief and loss following a traumatic event.
Group Crisis Intervention	Difficulty Level:	13 Hour session
Designed to present the core elements of a comprehensive, systematic and multi-component crisis intervention curriculum, the Group Crisis Intervention course will prepare participants to understand a wide range of crisis intervention services. Fundamentals of Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) will be outlined and participants will leave with the knowledge and tools to provide several group crisis interventions, specifically demobilizations, defusings and the Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD). The need for appropriate follow-up services and referrals when necessary will also be discussed.
Who Should Take This Course: This course is designed for anyone in the fields of Business & Industry Crisis Intervention, Disaster Response, Education, Emergency Services, Employee Assistance, Healthcare, Homeland Security, Mental Health, Military, Spiritual Care, and Traumatic Stress.
Individual Crisis Intervention Peer Support	Difficulty Level:	13 Hour session
This course teaches participants the fundamentals of a specific protocol for individual intervention. The audience for this class includes emergency services, military, and business / industrial peer support personnel without formal training in mental health, as well as mental health professionals, who desire to increase their knowledge of individual crisis intervention techniques.
Who Should Take This Course: Anyone who desires to increase their knowledge of individual (one-on-one) crisis intervention techniques in the fields of Emotional and Spiritual Care, Disaster Response, Business & Industry, Crisis Intervention, Employee Assistance, Healthcare, Mental Health, and Traumatic Stress.
Pastoral Crisis Intervention	Difficulty Level:	13 Hour session
Pastoral crisis intervention represents a powerful addition to traditional community and organizational psychological support resources. This two-day course assists participants in learning how pastoral interventions and traditional psychological crisis interventions may be effectively integrated.
Who Should Take This Course: Emotional and Spiritual Care Officers, chaplains, pastoral counselors, mental health professionals, ministers, and anyone interested in the use of faith-based resources in healing should find this course of interest
Stress Management for the Trauma Service Provider	Difficulty Level:	Hour session
This important course is for all who work with traumatized people. Explore the “Stress Continuum,” the levels of stress including eustress (i.e., beneficial, motivating stress), traumatic stress, burnout, countertransference, compassion fatigue or secondary PTSD, and vicarious traumatization which may occur as a result of helping others. A discussion of coping strategies for those who work with traumatized children will also be offered. Individual self-report exercises and an experiential group support session will assist the participating trauma provider in assessing their own level of stress through sharing personal experiences with others. Stress management self care techniques will be presented, experienced and discussed.
Who Should Take This Course: This course is appropriate for all mental health professionals, emergency services personnel, and peer counselors.
Suicide Prevention Intervention & Postvention	Difficulty Level:	14 Hour session
Why do people kill themselves? How do I ask someone if they are feeling suicidal? What do I do if they say they ARE suicidal? How do I deal with the strong emotions suicide generates? This course will provide answers for these and other questions many of crisis interventionists have about suicide. It will provide participants with basic information about suicide as well as help participants develop practical skills for prevention, intervention and postvention. Small group role plays will allow participants to apply the suggested techniques as they are learned.
Who Should Take This Course: This course is open to anyone who wishes to learn more about intervening across the suicide spectrum. Professionals from the fields of Business & Industry Crisis Intervention, Disaster Response, Education, Emergency Services, Employee Assistance, Healthcare, Homeland Security, Mental Health, Military, Spiritual Care, and Traumatic Stress may all benefit.

Medic FirstAid International 

The Salvation Army has partnered with Medic First Aid International to provide quality first aid training. Medic First Aid International is a worldwide innovator and leader in emergency care training programs for business, industry, non-profit organizations and the general public. Nationally recognized as meeting regulatory requirements for workplace safety and health, Medic First Aid International follows the most current medical guidelines and educational methodology to ensure all levels of responders from child care providers to fire fighters, good Samaritans to EMTs are confident in providing emergency care when their skills are needed.

ServSafe Food Safety Training 

In partnership with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF), The Salvation Army offers ServSafe training for its disaster food service managers. The ServSafe program is nationally recognized, accredited, and considered an industry standard in safe food handling and preparation.

ServSafe Food Safety Managers Training	Difficulty Level:	16 Hour session
This course teaches food service managers about the dangers of food borne illness, how to prevent it and the keys to food safety. The course also covers specifics on safe receiving, food storage, preparation and serving, and cooling and reheating. The course emphasizes that taking an active managerial control of critical food borne illness risk factors makes all the difference for a safe operation.
Who Should Take This Course: Supervisors responsible for managing food preparation.
ServSafe Starters	Difficulty Level:	4 Hour session
This course introduces participants to the basics of safe food handling. The course explains how food can become unsafe through time-temperature abuse, cross-contamination, and improper cleaning and sanitizing, and the importance good personal hygiene plays in limiting the spread of bacteria and other dangerous pathogens.
Who Should Take This Course: All disaster workers involved in food service or preparation.