The Community Times Dispatch

911 Communications Dispatchers Kimberly Eversole, Shawna Scott and Kelly Banks, from the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office recently completed training offered by the Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP).  The CDP is operated by the United States Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency and is the only federally-chartered Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) training facility in the nation

According to Colleton County Sheriff George Malone, the training is one part of a statewide effort to prepare emergency responders across South Carolina. “If something were to happen, our dispatchers would be at the center of communications for everyone of us,” Malone said. “We all have an important role to fill.”

The CDP provides federally-funded, interdisciplinary training for emergency responders in Mobile Training Teams (MTTs) across the United States and the U.S. Territories, for 10 response disciplines:  Emergency Management, Emergency Medical Service, Fire Service, Governmental Administrative, Hazardous Materials, Healthcare, Law Enforcement, Public Health, Public Safety Communications, and Public Works.

Resident training at the CDP’s campus in Anniston, Ala., includes healthcare and Public Health training at the CDP’s Noble Training Facility, the nation’s only hospital facility dedicated to training hospital and healthcare professionals in disaster preparedness and response.

A number of resident training courses culminate at the CDP’s Chemical, Ordnance, Biological and Radiological Training Facility, the nation’s only facility featuring civilian training exercises in a true toxic environment, using chemical agents. The advanced hands-on training enables responders to effectively prevent, respond to, and recover from real-world incidents involving acts of terrorism and other hazardous materials.

Responders participating in CDP resident and nonresident training courses are selected from the nation’s 11 million emergency responders.  The training ensures that responders gain critical skills and confidence to be better prepared to effectively respond to local incidents or potential WMD incidents.

Information about CDP training programs can be found at http://cdp.dhs.gov.  For more information or for photograph requests, contact Shannon Arledge, Public Affairs Specialist, at 256-847-2212, arledges@cdpemail.dhs.gov.