Program S (EHTER)
Course Name
Environmental Health Training in Emergency Response (EHTER)
Target Audience/Disciplines
The target audience for the Environmental Health Training in Emergency Response course includes environmental health specialists and sanitarians who are seeking to gain a broader understanding of the role of environmental health in emergency response. Candidates include federal, state, local, and tribal environmental health professionals
- with limited emergency response experience
- seeking exposure to different areas of environmental health emergency response
- needing a review of the basics of environmental health emergency response
- who are new to the field of environmental health
The course is also applicable to other responders, such as emergency management, Incident Commanders, Members of National Guard response teams (Civil Support Team, Chemical Enhances Response Force-Package, Domestic All-Hazard Response Team, Homeland Response Force-Package), and other partners, who seek to gain a better understanding of the role of environmental health in responding to emergencies and disasters.
Course Description
Environmental Health Training in Emergency Response (EHTER) is a four-day course which focuses on key environmental health topics and how they relate to the issues and challenges faced during an emergency response. The course is designed to increase the level of emergency preparedness for environmental health practitioners by providing them with the necessary knowledge and skills to manage the environmental health impacts of emergencies and disasters. The course concludes with a tabletop re-entry and re-occupancy exercise to illustrate the relevance of these topics during a disaster.
Below are some, but not all, of the critical skill sets learned during this training program:
- Perform a Hazard Vulnerability Assessment (HVA)
- Accurately identify key preparedness, response, and recovery partners for ensuring safe water
- Identify methods that can be used for assessing and assuring food safety during and following a disaster
- Articulate the prerequisites of solid waste planning, collection, and disposal during and following disasters
- Identify key vector control and pest management for response partners, industry, and the public
- Recognize the public health decision making concepts related to hazards, re-occupancy, and recovery decisions
Additional Qualifications/Certifications
While there are no mandatory prerequisites to attend the Environmental Health Training in Emergency Response course, it is recommended that students have successfully completed the following:
- IS-100.hc: Introduction to the Incident Command System
- IS-200.hc: ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents
- IS-700/700.a: National Incident Management System (NIMS), an Introduction
- IS-800.b: National Response Framework, an Introduction
- IS-808: Emergency Support Function (ESF) #8—Public Health and Medical Services
Course Length
4.0 days
Course Code
MGT-903
CEUs
- International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET): 3.2
- Nursing, through Alabama Board of Nursing (nurses only): 32
- CA Environmental Health Specialist, through National Environmental Health Association (environmental health professionals): 32
- National Environmental Health Association (NEHA): 3.2
- Police Officer Standards and Training (POST; approved per state): 32
