2009 NTNS Research Brief: Interdisciplinary
In 2009, RDPC conducted its second National Training Needs Survey. The survey targeted a random sample of individuals from eight disciplines representative of the rural emergency response community: Emergency Management Agency Personnel (EMAP); Emergency Medical Services (EMS); Fire Services (FS); Governmental Administrative (GA); Healthcare/Public Health (HCPH); Law Enforcement (LE); Public Safety Communications (PSC); and Public Works/Public Utilities (PWPU).
One of the key findings was the identification of unmet training needs in the area of health-related emergencies, such as bioterrorism and pandemic influenza outbreaks. The devastating effects of these types of events often threaten the health of emergency responders and , therefore, require specialized approaches to mitigating their impact. It is important for the entire rural emergency response community to be prepared for such events; therefore, training in the rural emergency response community to be able to effectively implement response plans and deal with the consequences of a health-related outbreak is essential. This research brief presents a discussion of this key finding and how it relates to the overall goals of homeland security training in rural communities.
