Two directors closely involved in the emergency preparedness and disaster response of Door County Memorial Hospital recently completed training that will greatly benefit the hospital and the residents of Door County. Steve Schwenke and Bill Hartman attended Homeland Security training at the Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP), located in Anniston, Alabama. The CDP is operated by the United States Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Management Agency and is the only federally-chartered Weapons of Mass Destruction training facility in the nation.

Both members were selected by the CDP for the unique, specialized training because of their extensive background in emergency management within a healthcare environment and familiarity with the incalculable effects that a natural disaster or a weapon of mass destruction can bring to a population within Door County.

The CDP provides federally-funded, interdisciplinary training for emergency responders from across the United States and U.S. Territories, for members of ten responder disciplines: Emergency Management, Emergency Medical Service, Fire Service, Governmental Administration, Hazardous Materials, Healthcare, Law Enforcement, Public Health, Public Safety Communications, and Public Works.

Healthcare and Public Health training is conducted at the CDP’s Nobel Training Facility, the nation’s only hospital facility dedicated to training hospital and healthcare professionals in disaster preparedness and response.

Many 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 attending CDP training are selected from the nation’s 11 million emergency responders. Training at the CDP ensures that responders gain critical skills and confidence to be better prepared to effectively respond to local incidents or potential Weapons of Mass Destruction incidents.

Additional information about CDP training programs can be found at http://cdp.dhs.gov.

FEMA coordinates the federal government’s role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.