It has been a bit since I have posted here. Life sometimes gets busy. Since, we last crossed paths I have had the pleasure of take a couple more courses from the online course selection offered by the Alberta Emergency Management Agency (AEMA). You can visit their website here: http://www.aema.alberta.ca/online-courses .
My most recent courses have been the Incident Command System (ICS) levels 100 & 200. Earlier, this year I completed the Basic Emergency Management (BEM) course. You will need to register and create a student profile if you would like to take any of these courses. No more difficult than setting up an email account.
Incident Command System is a standardized management system for keeping control of multiple resources during a planned event or an unscheduled natural disaster or man-made crisis. The standardized approach allows personnel from different agencies to work together in a common framework, no matter what the individual agency management style is when they work alone.
I found the ICS100 course to be a good introduction to ICS and how it would benefit interagency co-operation. I have received ICS100 training a number of times with different search & rescue units I have been a member of. However, at the time getting a piece of paper stating I had completed the training was not important. I am now motivated to achieve ICS400. ICS100 training will benefit anyone who is any type of first responder, who may find themselves working with others during the course of duty. This includes security workers and Scouting Leaders.
Well, ICS100 is the overview, ICS200 is the first leadership module. In ICS200, you learn to be in command of an incident - planned or not. I enjoyed ICS200 and found I have been using many of the techniques for years, even if I did not know it. Like all skills based courses, to get maximum return you do need to have the opportunity to practice what you are learning. If, all goes well, I will secure an employment opportunity in the very near future that will provide me with every opportunity to practice what I have recently learned.
With so many operating systems and web browsers out there, delivering online courses can be a challenge for host and student alike. I had a technical challenge while working through ICS200 and I can say without a shadow of doubt, that the Learning Design Section of AEMA, will help you achieve success on completing your course(s).
To get started on taking your first online course with AEMA, first build a student profile and then reach out to Learning Design Team: aema.training@gov.ab.ca. Ask to be registered in the course you would like to take.
Until next time,
Go learn something new!
VAM
