The Advocate
Copyright 2006 Capital City Press
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More than 60 emergency responders from Ascension Parish have completed training on how to manage the aftermath of natural and man-made disasters.
Firefighters; police officers; employees from the Ascension Parish Department of Public Works; the parish administration and the Sheriff’s Office; community volunteers and other first responders took the online Incident Command Systems courses during the last month.
The courses were introduced by Col. James Bridges, director of the Southern Anti Terrorist Regional Training Academy, known as SARTA, and taught by Trooper Bill Parson of Louisiana State Police Troop L and Dan O’Rourke, a consultant with SARTA.
The major objective of the trainings, according to Ascension Parish Public Information Officer Betty Robert, is to provide overall incident management skills to anyone in the parish dealing with emergency response during disasters.
The Incident Command System courses follow the basic National Incident Management System guidelines.
The Incident Command System is a standardized, on-scene, all-hazard incident management concept that allows its users to adopt an integrated organizational structure to match the needs that arise because of a single or multiple incidents.
Every first responder in the nation is required to go through the training, Robert said.