Environmental Health Training in Emergency Response (EHTER) - Operations

The Environmental Health Training in Emergency Response Operations (EHTER Ops) is a five-day course which provides participants with the operations-level knowledge and skills needed to respond to incidents of natural- or human-caused disaster and to use appropriate protocols and equipment to achieve mission objectives. Participants are trained to assess problems and risks, plan for a team response, select equipment and instrumentation appropriate to the event, perform the required tasks according to the Environmental Health response protocol, and perform reporting and follow-up as instructed. The majority of the course is conducted through hands-on operational practice or response to simulated events. Participants perform Environmental Health Responder tasks while wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) Levels C and D. The course also includes training at the outdoor Training Complex, part of the Chemical, Ordnance, Biological, and Radiological (COBRA) Training Facility, where participants engage in scenario-based exercises in which they employ critical-thinking skills related to the selection and use of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive (CBRNE) detection and sampling instruments.

• Prepare as a team to respond to suspected water supply contamination in a potentially hazardous environment.
• Determine remediation options for chemical and bacterial water supply contamination.
• Calculate health and safety requirements for the displaced population and estimated length of stay using the CDC Environmental Health Assessment Form for Shelters.
• Recommend equipment and upgrades needed to create a healthy and safe environment for proposed shelter population.
• Assess food sources for emergency mass-feeding operations and food handling of providers. Identify potential for, address, and report on foodborne illness.
• Identify non-structural building-related safety and health hazards. Communicate complex environmental health and safety information to non-technical audiences including media and members of the public.

Individuals currently serving as EHRs assigned to a local, State, or Tribal Emergency Response Team, performing environmental health tasks in emergencies and disasters.

To be eligible for the course, the student must successfully complete the following courses:

• IS 100, Incident Command System (ICS), An Introduction
• IS 200, ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents
• IS 700, National Incident Management System (NIMS), An Introduction
• IS 800, National Response Framework (NRF), an Introduction
• AWR 922-W, Environmental Health Training in Emergency Response

Exceptions to any of the above prerequisites may be granted on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the Center for Domestic Preparedness Registrar.

The Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) is an Accredited Provider (AP) of Continuing Education Units (CEU) and is authorized to award the following CEUs for successful completion of this activity:

IACET (International Association of Continuing Education and Training) – 3.2 CEUs