Wide Area Search (PER-213)

Course Flyer – Coming Soon!

Course Date(s) & Time(s): 24 total hours 

• Friday, June 14th – 8am until 5pm

• Saturday, June 15th – 8am until 5pm

• Sunday, June 16th – 8am – 5pm

Course Description: When disaster strikes it can be a challenge to effectively mobilize, organize, and deploy resources needed to perform search and rescue operations. The purpose of this course is to prepare participants to support a large search and rescue incident in a variety of roles ranging from searchers in the field, planning and support staff, and incident command. While built around the model of a large search and rescue event following a disaster, the course content applies to a vast number of critical situations including missing persons searches, natural disasters, terrorist incidents, and other scenarios.

This course exposes participants to a search management system focused on resource management and search documentation designed to conduct search operations efficiently and effectively. The instructor cadre will lead participants through facilitated discussions, table-top exercises, and hands-on activities in practical search skills and search management based on real world scenarios. The three-day long event concludes with a table-top exercise which requires participants to utilize the skills gained during the course to work through an incident from start to finish in a single operational period.

The instructor cadre are experienced search and rescue team members from the Federal Urban Search and Rescue System (FEMA US&R), State, municipal, and Volunteer teams. They bring a wealth of experience gained responding to some of nation’s largest and most challenging operations.

Target Audience: The participant audience includes any agency that may respond to a major emergency, disaster or event, including:

• Fire Department  Responders

• Law Enforcement Officials

• Medical Professionals

• Emergency Management Agencies

• Military Organizations

• Hazardous Materials Responders

• Immigration and Naturalization

• Environmental Agencies

• Border Patrol

• Canine Handlers

• Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearm Agents

• Volunteer Responders with CERT, Red Cross, Disaster Relief, Animal Rescue, etc. 

• Other organizations with search capabilities

Course Prerequisites (Mandatory): N/A

Course Prerequisites (Recommended): It is HIGHLY recommended participants complete the following courses: (click on links for virtual course offering)

• IS-100.c, Introduction to the Incident Command System or equivalent

• IS-200.c, Basic Incident Command System for Initial Response or equivalent

Course Location: Northampton County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) – 100 Gracedale Avenue, Nazareth, PA 18064 (Directions)

Course Registration: Register HERE

Additional Information / Notes: TEEX states that a photo identification shall be available for each participant the first day of the class. See the Participant Handbook for TEEX approved forms of identification and additional guidelines.

Class attendance is an essential part of the education process and participants in TEEX courses are expected to attend all class sessions and field exercises. This course requires participants to attend a minimum of 80% of the class hours as a component of successful course completion. During the course, your instructor will review any additional attendance requirements, for example, a field exercise that cannot be missed.

The class is funded by the Department of Homeland Security/Federal Emergency Management Agency (DHS/FEMA) and is provided on-site for eligible jurisdictions throughout the United States.

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