Law Enforcement and First Responder Curriculums

In their day-to-day work, most law enforcement and emergency response personnel are able to recognize citizens who are experiencing seizures and provide the appropriate intervention steps for responding to a person during a seizure. On any given shift, however, some law enforcement officers might unknowingly encounter persons having seizures who appear to be confused, are unable to communicate, or exhibit behaviors inappropriate to time and place. Such persons having a seizure might not obey an officer’s directives and might become unknowingly combative, resulting in inappropriate arrest, possible injury, and in some cases, death.

The Epilepsy Foundation, in partnership with CDC, is conducting a national education and outreach program to educate and train law enforcement officers, police cadets, and emergency response personnel across the country to increase their recognition of seizures and promote safe and appropriate intervention practices for persons with seizure disorders. The centerpiece of this effort is the First Responders Training Program, consisting of a law enforcement module and a module for emergency response personnel.

In response to the need for educational information in a format that is easy to access and allows for flexible scheduling, the law enforcement training curriculum is now available online. This approximately 45 minute course aims to train law enforcement on seizure recognition, correct response to seizures, and awareness of the unique needs of people with epilepsy who might be taken into police custody. The training is free, and the user can receive a certificate of completion.

More Information

• Information about the First Responders Training Program is available online ( http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/livingwithepilepsy/firstresponders/index.cfm). To access the Law Enforcement Training Curriculum: https://www.centrelearn.com/login_epilepsyfoundation.asp
• Information about epilepsy and the national campaign is available from the Epilepsy Foundation by telephone (800-332-1000) or online ( http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org).
• Information in Spanish is available by telephone (866-748-8008) or online ( http://www.fundacionparalaepilepsia.org)