Student depends on CDP training following train derailment

When a passenger train derailed in Montana last month, a Center for Domestic Preparedness alumna found herself using the skills she was taught here in January.

Sarah Robbin, the Disaster and Emergency Services Coordinator for Liberty County, Montana, attended the CDP’s Incident Command: Capabilities, Planning and Response Actions for All Hazards (IC) Course.  

The three-day class culminated with a real-time, scenario-driven tabletop exercise which required participants to apply concepts they were taught to plan for and manage emergency response resources.

Of particular use during the derailment, said Robbin, was the training she received about gathering necessary information for and giving situation update briefings.

 “I’ve used all the training I’ve ever received from the CDP,” added Robins, who previously attended the center’s Environmental Health Training in Emergency Response Awareness Course.  

She said she is also in regular contact with many of her fellow graduates – another benefit she touts of the CDP’s resident courses, since they provide the opportunity to meet and speak with responders from around the country.