Overview

The Office of Grants and Training provides tailored training to enhance the capacity of states and local jurisdictions to prevent, deter, and respond safely and effectively to incidents of terrorism involving weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

Specifically, G&T training is designed to meet the varying needs of its first responder training audiences. This includes reaching multiple disciplines, through training at the awareness, performance and planning/management levels, and employing the most appropriate mediums and vehicles for the particular audience:

• direct delivery
• train-the-trainer
• computer-based training
• web-based training
• video tele-conferencing

G&T training comports with nationally recognized standards, adheres to the precepts of Instructional System Design (ISD), and utilizes adult learning principles, including problem-based learning. In addition, G&T training endures a rigorous validation process before delivery, and continuous assessment once training deliveries are initiated. Increasingly, G&T training is being tested through state and local exercises, and the results used to inform further development of training courses.

The Office of Grants and Training and its coalition of training partners rely on the high caliber of state and local subject matter experts in the development and delivery of training. Continuous instructor development is a shared priority.

Training and Data Exchange (TRADE) Group

A significant component of the validation process for G&T courses is the Training and Data Exchange (TRADE) Group - a federal, interagency group that reviews member courses for consistency, avoidance of unnecessary duplication, and use of the most up to date information and protocols available. The TRADE Group is comprised of the following agencies:

• United States Fire Administration's National Fire Academy
• Federal Bureau of Investigation,
• Department of Justice
• Federal Emergency Management Agency
• Environmental Protection Agency,
• Department of Energy,
• Department of Health and Human Services
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and
• Emergency Management Institute
• Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
• Department of Homeland Security

Training Partners

G&T draws upon a coalition of "Training Partners" in the development and delivery of its training programs. This coalition is composed of government training facilities, academic institutions and private organizations, all of which are committed to the task of providing a variety of specialized, state-of-the-art training for emergency responders across the country.

The Training Partners include the Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP), G&T; the National Center for Biomedical Research and Training (NCBRT), Louisiana State University (LSU); the National Emergency Response and Rescue Training Center (NERRTC), Texas Engineering Extension Service (TEEX); the Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center (EMRTC), New Mexico Tech (NMIMT); and the National Center for Exercise Excellence (NCEE), Nevada Test Site (NTS). These five members constitute the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium (NDPC).

Additional partners in this critical national training initiative include Community Research Associates (CRA); US Army Dugway Proving Ground (DPG); the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF); the Naval Post Graduate School (NPS); the National Sheriff's Association (NSA); General Physics Corporation (GP) at Pine Bluff Arsenal (PBA); Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC); George Washington University (GWU); Michigan State University (MSU); National Terrorism Preparedness Institute (NTPI); International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA); and International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP).