Rural responders are typically operating in an environment where they are the chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive (CBRNE) response team, as well as the first on the scene.

With this is mind, the Rural Domestic Preparedness Consortium (RDPC) is sponsoring a free day-long seminar Saturday, Jan. 28, for police, fire and emergency medical services personnel. The seminar will be at the Perry Township Volunteer Fire Department.

In 2005, federal legislation authorized the creation of a Rural Domestic Preparedness Consortium to develop and deliver all-hazards preparedness training to rural communities across the nation through a network of academic institutions.

The RDPC training center is in Richmond Ky. The consortium includes East Tennessee State University, Iowa Central Community College, NorthWest Arkansas Community College, the University of Findlay and North Carolina Central University.

Certified by the Department of Homeland Security, the eight-hour awareness-level course provides rural first responders with an introduction to various types of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive materials and agents.

“We want them to be able to recognize what the hazards are and who they can get ahold of if they need additional assistance,” Perry Township Fire Chief Dewey Derifield explained.

This course is meant to give emergency responders a basic understanding of dangers involved in CBRNE incidents, instruction in the use of field guides, the steps involved in safe scene assessment and the components of CBRNE operations. Filmed scenarios at the end of the course require participants to combine instruction from the entire course and put it into practice.

In 2005, federal legislation authorized the creation of a Rural Domestic Preparedness Consortium to develop and deliver all-hazards preparedness training to rural communities through a network of academic institutions. The RDPC training center is in Richmond Ky.

Along with EKU, the consortium includes Iowa Central Community College, NorthWest Arkansas Community College, The University of Findlay and North Carolina Central University and East Tennessee State University.

“Each of these partners brings a special focus to the consortium For example, the CBRNE course we are offering there is developed by East Tennessee State University because they have a strong program at the school and their expertise in the subject is invaluable. We offer the course in every state in the U.S. we have delivered this course previously in Tennessee and Michigan thus far, but it is a very new course.

In the future, we have it scheduled for Kentucky, West Virginia, Delaware, Ohio, and Wisconsin to name a few,” RDPC spokesman Jarrod Withers said. “Some of our other courses cover school incident safety, dealing with the media, railcar incidents, and emergency operations plans for rural agencies.”

The class will be 8 a.m. -5 p.m. Jan. 28. Derifield said he hopes to have 25 people enrolled in the class. He said breakfast and lunch will be provided and participants may register the day of the class.

For more information call Derifield at (740) 533-7348 or email him at dewey23@roadrunner.com.