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Local responder attends Homeland Security training |
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Thursday, 27 March 2008 |
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Emergency responder Larry D. Hopkins from the Lonsdale Volunteer Fire Department recently completed Homeland Security training at the Center for Domestic Preparedness in Anniston, Ala.  Hopkins
The CDP is operated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency and is the only federally charted Weapons of Mass Destruction training facility in the nation.
Hopkins said he participated in a 40-hour course open to emergency responders, government officials and Red Cross officials.
He said he found the instruction “very helpful.”
“I’m the training officer for the Lonsdale Fire Department, and this was a great school,” Hopkins said. “It was a challenge, but a great resource for emergency responders and particularly for instructors.
Hopkins received training geared for instructors, which, he said, “helped me learn how to prepare lessons, how to use safety precautions and how to do Power Point presentations.”
The recent training marked Hopkins’ third training session at the school. Previously, he completed hazardous materials training and incident command training.
In addition to his volunteer service at Lonsdale, Hopkins has been a Hot Springs firefighter since 1993.
He and his wife, Emily, have a son, Richard Hopkins; and a daughter, Doris Smith, who resides with her husband, Aaron, and their son, Wesley, in Lonsdale.
Hopkins said the CDP provides federally funded, interdisciplinary training for emergency responders from throughout the United States and U.S. Territories for 10 responder disciplines: Emergency Management, Emergency Medical Service, Fire Service, Governmental Administrative, Hazardous Materials, Health Care, Law Enforcement, Public Health, Public Safety Communications and Public Works.
Health Care and Public Health training is conducted at the CDP’s Noble Training Facility, the nation’s only hospital facility dedicated to training hospital and health-care professionals in disaster preparedness and response.
Many training courses culminate at the CDP’s Chemical, Ordnance, Biological and Radiological Training Facility, the nation’s only facility featuring civilian training exercises in a true toxic environment using chemical agents. The advanced hands-on training enables responders to effectively prevent, respond to and recover from real-world incidents involving acts of terrorism and other hazardous materials.
Responders attending CDP training are specially selected from the nation’s 11 million emergency responders. Training at the CDP ensures that responders gain critical skills and confidence to be better prepared to effectively respond to local incidents or potential WMD incidents.
Additional information about CDP training programs may be found at http://cdp.dhs.gov.
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