homeland security training
Campbell, Lamar County EMA Director. “This is the
training the counties have wanted and needed.”
A wide variety of new training includes Homeland
Security courses, HazMat Awareness and now also
a POST certified academy. The courses provided will
not only teach locals how to prepare for a disaster, but
how to respond and rebuild in the aftermath. Updating
the “Preliminary Damage Assessment for Individual
and Public Assistance” course is just one example of
how GEMA/HS is improving its training.
“I don’t know if there’s any part of this state that has
not been hit by a disaster in the last 10 years,” said
Westbrook. “And with so many communities hit within
just the past several months, we wanted to revise our
curriculum and better educate EMA directors on what
to do when their community is hit with a disaster and is
in need of FEMA assistance.”
According to Westbrook, counties could possibly
forgo up to 25 percent of federal disaster assistance
available to them if not trained to properly document
damages. That’s money that could have helped the
recovery of communities had they provided the proper
documentation. During the Emergency Management
Association of Georgia summit, Westbrook stressed
this to EMA directors and encouraged them to get
this critical training to better equip and serve their
counties.
The new training initiative is not just for the local level,
but also the state level. Effective May 1, all Georgia
Emergency Management Agency and Homeland
Security staff will begin enrolling in training to meet
each individual’s role. Every employee will have
training requirements specifically for their position.
“We’ve identified a specific set of training for every
single person at the agency, regardless of their role”
said Westbrook.
With more access to improved training, GEMA/
HS is striving to improve services provided throughout
the state. By working with state and local partners, it’s
one more way the agency helps emergency personnel
better serve their communities and the citizens of
Georgia.