Online Incident Command System Review Courses Available to First Responders

The new, scenario-based courses are intended as a review of fundamental ICS concepts and principles for responders planning to take intermediate or advanced ICS training, or for those who need a refresher in ICS.

"The U.S. Fire Administration continues to move forward, in our efforts to ensure the Nation's first responders have available to them, the most current ICS body of knowledge," said Acting United States Fire Administration (USFA) Administrator, Charlie Dickinson. "Our firefighters and first responders face numerous challenges in their communities and these courses further ensure the effectiveness and safety of our response and recovery responsibilities."

The USFA, the Emergency Management Institute and the National Wildfire Coordinating Group, in cooperation with the DHS National Incident Management System (NIMS) Integration Center, jointly have developed ICS 100-400 courses based on standard learning objectives. ICS 300 and ICS 400 are classroom-based courses.

All of the ICS courses are based on standard learning objectives and are considered equivalent in terms of meeting NIMS requirements; NFA's courses are geared toward ensuring that operational responders can perform ICS functions in an emergency or incident environment.

Information concerning the National Fire Academy (NFA) versions of ICS 300 and ICS 400 is available through state fire training agencies. New ICS courses include:

Q-464 - Fundamentals Review for ICS 300: This course can be used as a pre-course module or as remedial training for the classroom version of ICS 300; this course alone does not meet the training requirements for ICS 300.

Q-466 - Fundamentals Review for ICS 400: This course can be used as a pre-course module or as remedial training for the classroom version of ICS 400; this course alone does not meet the training requirements for ICS 400.

The two new courses follow the precedent set by the popular on-line interactive ICS training offered on the NETC Virtual Campus, specifically designed for operational responders. Two of the courses often used by responders to meet NIMS ICS training requirements include Q-462 - ICS 100, Introduction to ICS for Operational First Responders and Q-463 - ICS 200, Basic ICS for Operational First Responders.

The courses may be found on the NETC Virtual Campus - select the "Online Training (NETC Virtual Campus)" link located under Quick Links.