The Homeland Security Institute (HSI) website, www.hsi.wa.gov, has emerged as a key resource site for training of Washington’s emergency responders. The site currently averages more than 70,000 visits per month from personnel seeking courses (both classroom and online), tools for scheduling and improving classroom training, as well as links to training in specific disciplines. This explosive growth has occurred based almost solely on word-of-mouth.
Online Training
Over 24,000 personnel have completed HSI courses. HSI continues to add to its catalogue of ten DHS-approved online courses. .Completions of our online NIMS courses have contributed significantly to the state’s ability to achieve NIMS compliance certification in 2006. If you are a manager faced with meeting NIMS training requirements for your staff, you should consider HSI’s online courses. They are fast, free and flexible. All are federally approved. The courses are tailored to Washington State, using media and examples like the Nisqually Earthquake, Tacoma Mall shooting, NW Response to Katrina, and eastern Washington wildfires.
Traditional Classroom Training Support
HSI recently completed significant upgrades to our Certified Trainer Database to make it more accessible and user friendly. The database has grown to more than 450 certified trainers. Using this as a management tool, we are beginning to communicate with trainers about their activity, as well as providing best practices, updated materials, and other support. In September, HSI delivered the prototype interactive, online Statewide Exercise and Training Calendar to EMD. It is currently being populated and piloted.
Expansions
HSI is working hard to exceed the goals and objectives assigned to it under the state strategy. The training and tools we deliver, and continue to develop, are making a significant contribution to building multi-discipline teams which can respond more effectively to a large-scale disaster or attack. HSI is also interested in working with exercise planners to provide lead-in online training. HSI has also revamped, and improved our Capabilities-Based Planning Instrument (CBPI) , making it even more user-friendly. Review the CBPI narrative, http://www.hsi.wa.gov/track.html to view the possible methods of enhancing training, ensure mission essential tasks are incorporated into training and improving the impact of your emergency plans.
Another suggestion is to provide a short (perhaps one to two hours) online course, involving the scenario, operational parameters, and shared training. Participants would be able to accomplish this at their convenience in the weeks leading 
up to the exercise. Course completion could serve as a rudimentary credential (potentially tied to the responder’s drivers license) for access to the exercise site. All of this is intended to make better use of finite exercise time and resource. If you are interested in making this part of an upcoming exercise, please contact us by emailing: WAStateHomelandSecurityInstitute@sbctc.ctc.edu
We have received overwhelmingly positive feedback from trainees and managers – and we would like to hear from you. We continue to field suggestions from responders on new courses they would like developed. HSI is now on the cutting-edge of training, and we are beginning to build high-end training tools, such as online simulations, into our curriculum. We believe the future is bright for merging appropriate classroom and online training into hybrid courses which deliver the very best experience to our responders.
In conclusion, one of the most significant votes of confidence we have received recently is a request from the Department of Homeland Security Office of Grants and Training (OGT). OGT has asked us to present an overview of HSI’s work as a “best practice” presentation at the 2007 Western States Training Conference. This takes us further down the road of realizing Major General Lowenberg’s vision of Washington State’s Homeland Security Institute becoming the “EMI of the West.”
Home | About HSI | Mission | Staff | News | Courses | ERIFS | On Line | Classroom | Trainer Database | Training Links | HSI Projects | Credentialing | Gap Analysis | Standards | Disciplines | NIMS ICS | Planning Tools | Volcanos | Contact HSI