- Do I have to attend all sessions of the course?
Yes, to receive a certificate you must be present in the classroom. All of the courses depend on student involvement in discussion and exercises.
- How do I know I am registered for a course?
When you register you should receive immediate confirmation on-line.
- What is the course registration period?
It starts thirty days before the course begins and lasts until fourteen days before the course begins. After that, registrations are conditional.
- Can I register late?
You can register up to the date the course begins, including walk-ins at the beginning of instruction. However, there is no guarantee that there will be room in the class. You may have to make up prerequisite work, as we will not be able to get it to you in time.
- Is it possible that a course could be cancelled?
If less than 15 students sign up for a course during the regular registration period, the course may be cancelled. If it is you will be notified by email. Each situation will be evaluated on its own merits and number of applicants is but one of the factors. In any event, the Bay Area UASI will make the final decision and if it is cancelled, applicants will be notified 10 days in advance.
- What if I have an emergency and have to cancel or miss training?
Contact the instructor and he/she will give you direction.
- How do I contact my instructor?
The instructors will provide their cell phone numbers at the beginning of instruction. Also, instructor email addresses are provided with their biographical summaries.
- How do I obtain the pre-course material?
When you signed up, we received your email address. About ten days before the training, the pre-course material will be distributed electronically to the students. You will also receive other course information.
- How do I find out about the curriculum?
Go to the following web address, open the Field Manager’s Course Guide and look up you course. You will find a complete course description. http://www.nwcg.gov/pms/training/training.htm
- Do I need to meet all of the prerequisites?
Generally speaking, yes. Without the prerequisites you cannot receive a certificate from the Office of the State Fire Marshal. If there is room in the class an instructor may allow you in conditionally to attend realizing that you will not be at the same level as the other students and the instructor cannot make accommodations for the lack of preparation.
- Do I have to take all the prerequisites to take a Finance course?
We have changed the prerequisites for the Finance training; the I-300 is no longer required. The other courses are all available on-line (see the following question).
- How can I obtain certification for the prerequisite courses?
Several of these courses are available on-line. They can be taken at home as well as at work. They each take two or three hours to complete, but it can be done right at your desk and the certificate comes by return email when you take the final exam, which can be taken until you pass. You do not have to complete these courses before you sign up; just complete them before the training.
IS-100 Introduction to the Incident Command System (http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/IS100A.asp)
IS-200.a ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents (http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/IS200A.asp)
IS-700.a NIMS An Introduction (http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/is700a.asp)
IS-701 NIMS Multiagency Coordination System (MACS) Course (http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/is701.asp)
IS-775 EOC Management and Operations (http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/IS775.asp)
IS-800.b National Response Framework, An Introduction (http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/IS800b.asp)
In addition, there are many other web based courses at http://training.fema.gov/IS/crslist.asp
- If I want to take one of the online prerequisite courses do I need a special computer?
You can take the online courses on any computer, at home or at work. They are available at any time of the day any day of the week.
- I notice that some courses have prerequisites of other courses, how do I complete those?
Take the prerequisite course first, if possible.
- Are there any costs associated with the training?
The course instruction is free. There will be coffee and water in the classroom and all instructional materials are provided. You will be responsible for your own lunch each day as well as any travel cost associated with training.
- How many times will each course be offered?
Each course will be offered once at a Bay Area location. If demand is sufficient, then a second offering of the course will be made at a different Bay Area location. If demand for the first course is low and the course is cancelled, then a third offering of a more popular course will be made instead. The first offering of fifteen courses will be in March, April and May of 2009. The second offering of courses will be in June, July and August of 2009.
- Who can attend?
The training is not open to the general public. Public agency personnel and some volunteer agency personnel who work in law enforcement, fire protection, public health, public works, emergency services or who have emergency responsibilities in an Emergency Operations Center or as part of an Incident Management Team can attend.
- What type of certificate will I receive?
If you successfully complete the training, you will receive a course completion certificate for the California Office of the State Fire Marshal. They maintain a database containing all of the certified Incident Command System training.
- What if I have special needs?
Please indicate on the registration what your needs are and we will do our best to accommodate your situation.
- Will the training be all risk or just fire related?
The training material and the certificates come from the “fire” community; however, the training will be all risk, focused primarily on a potential major earthquake in the Bay Area.
- Should someone who works in an EOC attend this training?
Yes. The training will fulfill the needs of personnel with EOC assignments and meets SEMS requirements.
- What if two courses I need are both offered at the same time?
Unless a course does not receive adequate enrollment in the first offering, all courses will be offered twice. Courses that receive very low enrollment will be dropped from the program and replaced by courses with high enrollment.
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