CDP classes enhance Guardsmen’s skills, knowledge
Soldiers from the New Mexico National Guard assess patients during training at the Center for Domestic Preparedness.
Classes at FEMA’s Center for Domestic Preparedness this week were filled with National and Air National Guardsmen.
In the Emergency Medical Operations for CBRNE Incidents (EMO) Course, 12 of the 14 slots were filled by members of a New Mexico Army National Guard medical detachment.
A mixture of Army and Air National Guardsmen were in the Hazardous Materials Operations (HMO) Course – 10 from New Mexico and 6 from an airlift wing of the Illinois Air National Guard.
According to Maj. Sylvia Yazzie, a nurse with the New Mexico medical detachment, the training enhances the guardsmen’s understanding of hazardous material precautions and procedures, enabling them to better serve their state and the nation in times of emergency.
The EMO course prepares responders to effectively respond to a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or explosive (CBRNE) or mass casualty incident. It includes hands-on exercises where responders hone the emergency-response skills they’re taught.
Responders learn to analyze, plan and implement response actions for hazardous materials incidents in the HMO course.
Both courses enable students to gain enhanced trust in their fellow Soldiers and Airmen, as well as their equipment, while working together through several hazardous incident scenarios.
In a typical year, more than 1,000 National Guardsmen attend CDP training. This includes guardsmen in all 50 states and U.S. territories.