Protecting nation’s critical infrastructure goal of new courses

TEEX is addressing the threats against the nation’s Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources (CIKR) by providing training through its National Emergency Response and Rescue Training Center (NERRTC) that will enhance the protection and rapid restoration of these vital assets.

Manmade or natural disasters, as well as technological hazards, can disrupt the functioning of government and business alike, producing widespread losses, damaging public confidence and overwhelming healthcare resources. To build a safer, more secure and more resilient country, the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP) was developed to prevent, deter, neutralize or mitigate the effects of deliberate actions designed to destroy, incapacitate or exploit the Nation’s CIKR.

Two new courses have been developed by TEEX-NERRTC to support the NIPP and help jurisdictions understand their roles and responsibilities for protecting key resources and assets:

  • AWR213 – Critical Infrastructure Key Resources Awareness
  • MGT341 – Disaster Preparedness for Hospitals and Healthcare Organizations Within the Community Infrastructure

Both courses have been certified by the Department of Homeland Security/FEMA and are offered at no charge to eligible jurisdictions through the DHS/FEMA Homeland Security National Training Program, which is operated by NERRTC and TEEX, which is a member of The Texas A&M University System.

AWR213-Critical Infrastructure Key Resources Awareness is designed to bring private sector and public jurisdictional partners together to identify critical assets in their jurisdiction and to discuss the joint threats they face and their interdependencies, said TEEX Homeland Security Services Training Support Manager Rebecca Tate.

“The course is designed to foster understanding of their key roles in both protection and resiliency and to support joint planning and decision-making for developing effective protection strategies.”

In most instances, hospitals and healthcare organizations in a jurisdiction may not be aware of their role in the NIPP, and may have limited awareness of the National Preparedness Guidelines and Target Capabilities List, Tate added.

MGT341 – Disaster Preparedness for Hospitals and Healthcare Organizations is designed to ensure the resiliency and sustainability of healthcare services during a high consequence or catastrophic event by training healthcare and hospital personnel how to protect their workforce from harm and prevent or minimize damage to their facilities. Course participants also learn to correlate their activities with other critical infrastructure partners, response organizations or federal agencies during an incident.

“Participants in both courses come away with a new understanding of the threats they face as an entire jurisdiction or healthcare community, and the necessary components for protecting their assets,” Tate said. “Ultimately, this training is aimed at making the assets in the communities safer and getting the partners to work together to outline a roadmap for implementing a joint protection and resiliency plan.”

Other Infrastructure Protection courses offered by TEEX/NERRTC include:

  • MGT310 – Threat and Risk Assessment
  • MGT315 – Enhanced Threat and Risk Assessment
  • MGT317 – Disaster Management for Public Services
  • MGT342 – Senior Officials – Disaster Management for Water and Wastewater
  • MGT343 – Disaster Management for Water and Wastewater Utilities
  • MGT345 – Disaster Management for Electric Power Systems