Idaho Bulletin 360-7-2

November 9, 2006

SUBJECT:  PER - Emergency Preparedness - Incident Command System Training

TO:  District Conservationists
       RC&D Coordinators
       Soil Survey Project Leaders
       MLRA Project Leaders
       PMC Team Leader

Purpose.  To transmit information on required emergency preparedness training

Expiration Date.  September 30, 2007

Action required by: All DC’s, RC& D Coordinators, Soil Survey Project Leaders, MLRA Project Leaders and PMC Team Leader Complete training by:  December 31, 2006

Background:  The hurricanes that devastated Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida and Texas reinforced the need to be better prepared for future natural and manmade disasters.  Homeland Security Presidential Directive 5 (HSPD-5) states that Federal departments and agencies will implement protocols to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from domestic incidents, whether they are natural or manmade.

Explanation:  States that have historically responded to natural disasters are required to ensure their employees are trained as quickly as possible in the Incident Command System (ICS).  Other states including NRCS in Idaho are required to ensure that their employees are trained in ICS. The following training will be conducted through the AgLearn System.

ICS 100 – Introduction to Incident Command Systems is required to be taken by all NRCS managers that respond or provide recovery assistance for natural or man made disasters.

This is a web-based entry-level course that introduces employees to the ICS organization, basic terminology, common responsibilities, and ICS principles and features.  ICS-100 is a pass/fail course where a minimum passing score of 70 percent must be achieved.  Completion of ICS-100 is a prerequisite for additional ICS training.  Approximate course length is one and one half hours.

This training must be completed by December 31, 2006.  It is important for NRCS managers to understand ICS and be better able to work in conjunction with other Federal, State and local agencies as the needs arise.

To add this course to your AgLearn Learning Plan:

• Proceed to AgLearn using your USDA eAuthentication ID and password
• Select Catalog, select Simple Catalog Search, enter ICS-100 in keyword block, Select Search, select Add to Learning Plan
• Go to Learning Plan and select Launch Content for the ICS-100 course

For additional information or assistance, contact Susan Tharp, ASTC (Management) at (208) 378-5704 or Sue Ellis, Training Officer at (208) 378-5733.

/s/                                           
RICHARD SIMS                                         
State Conservationist               

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