Emergency Responder and Correctional Officer Lieutenant Robert C. Sayles, of Johnston, R.I., recently completed Homeland Security training at the Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP), located in Anniston, AL. The CDP is operated by the United States Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency and is the only federally-chartered Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) training facility in the nation.
Lt. Sayles, who works at the RIDOC’s High Security Center, says this of the training. “The training that I received at the CDP was invaluable. The program is exceedingly organized, extremely comprehensive, and all of the instructors are experts in their field. I was impressed by the vastness of the topics covered and the hands-on training that I received.” Lt. Sayles has been with the Department of Corrections for 21 years. He received certificates of completion for Initial Law Enforcement Response to Suicide Bomb Attacks, Law Enforcement Protective Measures for CBRNE Incidents, and Intermediate Hands-on Training for CBRNE Incidents.
The CDP provides federally-funded, interdisciplinary training for emergency responders in Mobile Training Teams (MTT’s) across the United States and the U.S. Territories, for 10 response disciplines: Emergency Management, Emergency Medial Service, Fire Service, Governmental Administrative, Hazardous Materials, Healthcare, Law Enforcement, Public Health, Public Safety Communications, and Public Works.
Resident training at the CDP’s campus in Aniston, AL, includes healthcare and Public Health Training at the CDP’s Noble Training Facility, the nation’s only hospital facility dedicated to training hospital and healthcare professionals in disaster preparedness and response.
A number of resident training courses culminate at the CDP’s Chemical, Ordinance, Biological and Radiological Training Facility, the nation’s only facility featuring civilian training exercises in a true toxic environment, using chemical agents. The advanced hands-on training enables responders to effectively prevent, respond to, and recover from real-world incidents involving acts of terrorism and other hazardous materials.
Responders participating in CDP resident and nonresident training courses are selected from the nation’s 11 million emergency responders. The training ensures that responders gain critical skills and confidence to be better prepared to effectively respond to local incidents or potential WMD incidents.
Information about CDP training program s can be found at http://cdp.dhs.gov. Visit the News & Media tab of the site to download images, share CDP training articles, and find out what others are saying about CDP training. For more information regarding CDP facts and photograph requests, contact Shannon Arledge, Public Affairs Specialist, at (256) 847-2212 or email pao@cdpemail.dhs.gov.