From April 7-9, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Rock Island District held training for flood area engineers, state liaisons and members of the District’s crisis action team. Typically held every two years, the training serves as an opportunity for flood fight cadre members from the Emergency Management Office to train employees from other departments who have volunteered to support communities during flood response operations.
Over the course of the three-day event, attendees received classroom-style training as well as hands-on learning and technical skill building outdoors. The agenda covered everything from preparing to deploy to handling public engagement in the field. Scenarios and case studies were also incorporated to allow participants to gather lessons learned and see how their training applies to real life.
The training ensures volunteers understand how to assess flood fight situations in the field and train local personnel supporting response operations. It also guides volunteers in learning how to help impacted community members respond appropriately and in accordance with regulations during flood emergencies.
According to National Flood Fight Materiel Center Program Manager Cory Haberman, “We cover different options to reduce impacts in the field because there is always more than one possible way to respond to a problem. Some of these options may not be fully available at the time, may require too much time, or the equipment may not be readily available.”
Although this training focuses on educating volunteers for emergency response, the goal is to train the trainer.
“As members of USACE, we’re not authorized to perform the work ourselves,” said Haberman “Our job is to provide technical support and train the people who are involved in emergency response in a community. This allows them to accomplish more with the people they have and be better prepared.”