Richmond, KY.  The Rural Domestic Preparedness Consortium (RDPC) is pleased to announce that a new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) certified course is available for delivery in the 50 states and five U.S. territories. The course, AWR 144 Port and Vessel Security for Public Safety and Maritime Personnel, was developed by The University of Findlay an academic partner of Rural Domestic Preparedness Consortium (RDPC). The training is designed to provide rural/non-metropolitan first responders and public officials with the basic competencies associated with port and vessel security as well as a working knowledge of maritime security. 

The Maritime Transportation System (MTS) relies on the inland waterways to import and export goods to the United States, and therefore the security of the facilities and vessels is vital to the economic life and stability of the country.  Many high-risk terminals are located outside of large municipalities but share the same risk factors as larger ports.   Emergency responders in these jurisdictions can effectively respond to terrorist incidents and natural disasters if they understand the threats and are familiar with the federally mandated security requirements and procedures. 

This eight-hour course was developed to introduce the rural responder community  to the maritime security requirements of the high-risk, regulated facilities and vessels in their jurisdictions. Through this course, rural first responders will gain a better understanding of the criticalities of the maritime system thereby increasing their ability to protect, prevent, respond to, and recover from any incident of an all-hazards nature. The participants will be given instruction concerning specific maritime security regulations affecting facilities and vessels. Potential hazards in the dock and vessel environment will also beentified. 

 Topics discussed in this course include but are not limited to:  threats to the MTS; maritime regulations; security levels; maritime environment safety issues; sensitive security information; responder considerations and worker credentialing. 

All training delivered by RDPC is certified by DHS and is offered tuition-free for a broad scope of stakeholders, including the traditional emergency response disciplines, and other emergency support functions as defined by the National Response Framework, as well as critical infrastructure owners and operators. 

 RDPC is a U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Training and Exercises Integration Secretariat partnership of academic institutions with a vision of creating an environment wherein rural communities across America will have the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to enhance the safety, security and quality of life for their citizens.  Current members of the Consortium include East Tennessee State University, Eastern Kentucky University, The University of Findlay, Iowa Central Community College, NorthWest Arkansas Community College, and North Carolina Central University.  Each of these institutions possesses extensive and unique capabilities relating to rural emergency preparedness training.