More Participants Needed for Free Mass Disaster Training Seminar

The deadline is fast approaching to sign up for a two-part class on what to do in the event of an emergency involving mass fatalities.

The Carnesville Fire Department is hosting the two-part class on Mass Fatalities and Planning Response and it’s open to the public as well as public safety personnel.

Assistant Fire Chief Clayton Bryant said the class will be held over two evenings on June 5 and 6 from 6p – 10p.

The deadline to register is Monday, May 22. Bryant said so far, nine people have signed up and 20 are needed for the class to take place.

He said the goal is for citizens to be prepared in the event of a natural or man-made disaster.

The classes will be presented by Rural Domestic Preparedness Consortium and FEMA.

” They do classes all over the State. This is the second class that we’ve done with them; the first being the school crisis class,” Bryant explained. “They’re partnered with FEMA to do this class. It’s an 8-hour class that would normally be done on one day but I know a lot of people work and they were gracious enough to bust it up over two days. So, we’re having the front half on Monday night from 6p to 10p but I’m sure it will get out a little bit earlier than 10 o’clock. The second half will be done on Tuesday night 6p – 10p at Carnesville Fire Department.”

According to their website, the target audience includes first responders, coroners/medical examiners, public health officials, and others with responsibilities during a mass fatality incident.

Some of the topics addressed include establishing roles and responsibilities, asset management, and the development of a mass fatality plan that affects how safety and other personnel respond.

Normally classes of this nature are primarily for public safety and emergency personnel.

However, Bryant said these classes are for anyone interested.

“It’s important that everyone is on the same page. If we have a crisis, whether it’s man-made or a natural disaster it’s important we know how to work with each other and know each other’s weaknesses and strengths. That we can have a better outcome for the general population. We would like to see people from churches and other organizations that would have some sort of role in a disaster relief effort. If anybody wants to come, they can come. We want to open it up to everybody,” he said.

The class is free of charge and each attending individual will receive 8 hours of continuing education credit.

Bryant said to register you can go to https://ruraltraining.org/course/awr-232/#

Again, the deadline to register for the disaster training classes is May 22. If you have questions you can call Bryant at 706-384-5552.