Emergency Preparedness for Kansas County Health Officers
Since September 11, 2001, public health organizations at all levels have focused on becoming more prepared to handle future emergencies. At a local level, this responsibility may fall on county health officers.
Kansas county health officers serve the state’s 105 counties through 99 local health departments. Most of these health departments serve rural and frontier populations, and many have limited resources which may make emergency preparedness more difficult.
County health officers therefore require public health emergency preparedness training in a format friendly to rural populations. This web page collects state and national resources, web-based trainings, and information that can be used by Kansas’s county health officers to learn about emergency preparedness and increase preparedness within their counties. The page answers these four questions:
- Where Can Health Officers Get Free Emergency Preparedness Training Online?
- What are Some Exercises and Trainings that Can Show Counties How to Become Prepared for Emergencies?
- Where Can Health Officers Learn More about Emergency Preparedness Online?
- How Can Health Officers Read More about Becoming Prepared for Emergencies?
A variety of state and national web-based training resources are available to county health officers. Many can be accessed 
through KS-TRAIN, the state branch of the national web-based TrainingFinder Real-time Affiliate Integrated Network (TRAIN).
KS-TRAIN registration is free of charge, as are most TRAIN courses. Registration can be done through the site’s home page at https://ks.train.org/DesktopShell.aspx. To set up a KS-TRAIN account, simply click on the “Create Account” button and follow the instructions on the site.
County health officers will find a wide variety of specialized web-based trainings on KS-TRAIN. Recommended preparedness courses available through KS-TRAIN for independent study are listed below.
To access and register for these trainings:
-Open a new browser window and go to the TRAIN site in there: https://ks.train.org/DesktopShell.aspx
-Log in to your TRAIN account
-On this page, click the title of the course in which you would like to enroll.
-The link will take you to the course page in TRAIN. Click the “Refresh” button and then proceed with course registration.
Course Title |
Course Provider |
Type of Course |
Credit Available |
KANSAS-SPECIFIC PREPAREDNESS |
|
|
|
Kansas State Fire Marshal |
Web-based Training - Self study |
None |
|
Kansas Association of Local Health Departments with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment |
Web-based Training - Self study |
None |
|
Kansas Division of Emergency Management; Kansas Department of Health and Environment |
Web-based Training - Self study |
None |
|
Division of Strategic National Stockpile, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |
Web-based Training - Self study |
None |
|
Creating a Crisis/Emergency Risk Communication Plan Using the CDCynergy Tool |
Kansas Department of Health and Environment |
Web-based Training - Self-study |
None |
Kansas Department of Health and Environment |
Web-based Training - Self-study |
None |
|
KDHE: Pandemic Influenza Symposiums - Industry & Business-June 23 (WEBCAST) |
Kansas Department of Health and Environment & Kansas Division of Emergency Management |
Webcast (on demand) |
None |
Agroterrorism: Understanding Roles of Local First Responders |
Kansas Bureau of Investigation, Ford County Sheriff's Office, and the Kansas Dept. of Health and Environment |
Web-based Training - Self-study |
None |
Kansas Department of Health and Environment |
Web-based Training - Self-study |
None |
|
Sedgwick County MMRS: Mass Pharmaceutical Dispensing Medication Preparation Video |
Sedgwick County Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS) |
Web-based Training - Self-study |
None |
BIOTERRORISM AND PUBLIC HEALTH |
|
|
|
Center for Public Health Preparedness, School of Public Health, SUNY |
Web-based Training - |
None |
|
CDC |
Web-based Training - Self study |
2 CME, 2.2 CNE |
|
Yale New Haven Health Center for Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Response |
Web-based Training - Self study |
None |
|
Recognition and Management of Bioterrorist Agents: An Overview |
North Carolina Center for Public Health Preparedness |
Webstream/Archived Webcast (Online) |
0.05 CEU/CE |
Recognition and Management of Plague, Tularemia, and Q Fever |
North Carolina Center for Public Health Preparedness |
Webstream/Archived Webcast (Online) |
0.1 CEU/CE |
Recognition, Management and Surveillance of Ricin-Associated Illness |
CDC/NCEH |
Webstream/Archived Webcast (Online) |
1CME. 1.2 CNE, 0.1 CEU/CE |
South Central Center for Public Health Preparedness |
Web-based Training - Self-study |
Certificate of Attendance |
CHEMICAL TERRORISM |
|
|
|
CDC/National Center for Enviromental Health |
Webcast (on demand) |
0.1 of CEU/CE; 1 of CHES; 1 of CME; 1.2 of CNE |
|
South Central Center for Public Health Preparedness |
Web-based Training - Self study |
None |
|
South Central Center for Public Health Preparedness |
Web-based Training - Self study |
None |
|
South Central Center for Public Health Preparedness |
Web-based Training - Self study |
None |
|
North Carolina Center for Public Health Preparedness |
Computer-based Training |
.5 CME, 0.05 CEU/CE |
LEADERSHIP |
|
|
|
North Carolina Center for Public Health Preparedness |
Computer-based Training |
0.05 CEU/CE |
|
South Central Center for Public Health Preparedness |
Web-based Training - Self study |
None |
RISK COMMUNICATION AND MENTAL HEALTH |
|
|
|
MDCH Office of Public Health Preparedness |
Web-based Training - Self study |
None |
|
MDCH Office of Public Health Preparedness |
Web-based Training - Self study |
None |
|
Mental Health Aspects of Emergencies and Disasters for Non-Mental Health Professionals (EM 230) |
Yale New Haven Health Center for Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Response |
Web-based Training - Self-study |
None |
NATIONAL INCIDENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM |
|
|
|
FEMA |
|
|
|
IS-700 National Incident Management System (NIMS), An Introduction |
FEMA |
Web-based Training - Self study |
0.3 CEU/CE |
FEMA |
Web-based Training - Self study |
0.3 CEU/CE |
|
FEMA |
Web-based Training - Self study |
0.3 CEU/CE |
|
IS-200 ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents |
FEMA |
Web-based Training - Self study |
0.3 CEU/CE |
|
On-Site - Classroom course (Live Event) |
None |
|
|
On-Site - Classroom course (Live Event) |
None |
What are Some Exercises and Trainings that Can Show Counties How to Become Prepared for Emergencies?
Provided here are examples of how to develop and conduct preparedness guidelines and tabletop exercises for natural disasters and bioterrorist scenarios.
These six modules of the CDC’s “Public Health Emergency Law” foundational training courses contain information about general disaster response and recovery issues, public health and quarantine, and Kansas preparedness policy and law. Units 3, 4, and 5 were modified for Kansas law by Robert Parnacott, Legal Counsel, Sedgwick County Health Department.
Website for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) resource center for Incident Command Systems (ICS):
http://www.training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/ICSResource/index.htm
PDF-format handout with answers to frequently asked questions about NIMS and ICS training:
http://www.fema.gov/pdf/emergency/nims/5_common_faqs.pdf
CDC site with guidance on funding for cooperative agreements for public health emergency preparedness:
http://www.bt.cdc.gov/planning/coopagreement/
Links to federal reports and resources for state and local public health emergency preparedness:
http://www.bt.cdc.gov/planning/#statelocal
FEMA site providing an independent study program on designing customized emergency exercises:
http://www.training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/is139.asp
Web database of foreign animal diseases, including those considered to be bioterrorist threats:
http://www.vet.uga.edu/vpp/gray_book/index.htm
A summary of state statutes dealing with local health officer roles, isolation and quarantine, and contagious diseases is available here: Quarantine and Isolation Information
Balicer RD, Omer SB, Barnett DJ, Everly GS Jr. Local public health workers' perceptions toward responding to an influenza pandemic. BMC Public Health. 2006 Apr 18;6:99.
Barnett DJ, Balicer RD, Blodgett D, Fews AL, Parker CL, Links JM. The application of the Haddon matrix to public health readiness and response planning. Environ Health Perspect. 2005 May;113(5):561-6.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Improvement in local public health preparedness and response capacity-Kansas, 2002-2003. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2005 May 13;54(18):461-2.
Flowers LK, Mothershead JL, Blackwell TH. Bioterrorism preparedness. II: The community and emergency medical services systems. Emerg Med Clin North Am. 2002 May;20(2):457-76.
Lerner EB, Billittier AJ 4th, O'Connor RE, Allswede MP, Blackwell TH, Wang HE, White LJ.
Linkages of acute care and EMS to state and local public health programs: application to public health programs. J Public Health Manag Pract. 2005 Jul-Aug;11(4):291-7.
Levy BS, Sidel VW, eds. Terrorism and Public Health: A Balanced Approach to Strengthening Systems and Protecting People. New York City: Oxford University Press; 2003.
Morrow CB, Novick LF. A case exercise in public health preparedness: a community outbreak of influenza-like illness. J Public Health Manag Pract. 2005 Jul-Aug;11(4):306-10.
Morse A. Bioterrorism preparedness for local health departments. J Community Health Nurs. 2002 Winter;19(4):203-11.
Riederer-Trainor C, Wilkinson T, Snook WD, Hoff GL, Griffin R, Archer R. When bioterrorism strikes: communication issues for the local health department. Health Promot Pract. 2005 Oct;6(4):424-9.
Rowitz L. Public Health for the 21st Century: The Prepared Leader. Boston, Mass: Jones & Bartlett; 2005.
Sarpy SA, Warren CR, Kaplan S, Bradley J, Howe R. Simulating public health response to a severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) event: a comprehensive and systematic approach to designing, implementing, and evaluating a tabletop exercise. J Public Health Manag Pract. 2005 Nov;Suppl:S75-82.
