Fire Captain touts value of CDP training

A captain for a volunteer fire department in East Tennessee says he used training received at the Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) when responding to multiple incidents, including wildfires earlier this year near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which impacted more than 100 structures and prompted the evacuation of more than 10,000 people.

Robert Taylor started his fire services career in 2009 and, since that time, has completed a wide range of CDP offerings, including the center’s Hazardous Materials Awareness (HMA), Hazardous Materials Operations, Hazardous Materials Technician, and Respiratory Protection: Program Development and Administration courses.

He most recently completed the CDP’s Hazardous Materials Awareness Train-the-Trainer Course, which allows him to teach the HMA course to fellow responders in his organization and community. Those individuals will, in turn, be credited by the CDP upon successful completion of the training.

According to Taylor, one of the biggest reasons he continues to take CDP training, and encourages others to take it, is the professionalism of the center’s instructional staff.

The instructors “… have a wealth of knowledge as experts in their fields and provide huge insights into their personal experiences.” Because of that, you are prepared for all contingencies, “everything from an everyday call to a large-scale event,” he said.