In an emergency, a shared understanding of the situation is essential. Two courses being offered by the Lab’s Emergency Management team provide a framework for assessing and responding to Lab emergencies.

“Making sure that everyone who is involved in an emergency is on the same page is critical,” said Ayla Quesada, Drills, Training & Exercise Team Lead. If there’s a fire or a chemical spill in a building, we need to know what chemicals are in the building or where hazards are, or if somebody’s experiencing an emergency, we need to be able to get responders to them. That’s why the course in understanding a common operating picture is important.”

The Critical Incident Management Group, or CIMG, is made up of specialists from throughout the Lab. The team comes together to manage emergencies or large planned events.  Emergencies come in all sizes, and each one is unique that may call for special skills.  Anyone who is interested in working with the CIMG now or in the future is invited to attend these courses.

Prior experience to take these courses is not required but there are a few online prerequisites to provide a base knowledge of how emergency response works. Training courses build upon one another and can eventually lead to certification which is a great addition to a resume. 

“The roles in emergency response are varied,” said Ayla.  “We need people who know the Lab and its processes, people who work in both research and operational safety, ham radio operators, professional engineers to help with damage assessment, and those with administrative knowledge to set up space or order supplies. If you like to become part of this great team, get in touch and we can tell you more about how we operate in an emergency.”

Course Information and Registration

 ICS 300: Intermediate Incident Command System for Expanding Incidents

• May 13-15
• Register Here

EOC Situational Awareness & Common Operating Picture

• May 29 – 30
• Register Here
• This course is designed to build the situational awareness and common operating picture (SA/COP) skills, knowledge, and capabilities. Having a clear, cohesive understanding of an incident is critical to the safety of all responders and Lab personnel.