For decades now the fire service has been managing large fire grounds through use of the Incident Management System. Within the past few years - since the attacks of nine eleven - it's been realized that such management can be applied to all serious disaster scenes. But, truth be told, the fire services, who have the most experience, simply don't have time to stop and train everyone else in public safety in how to use and work under the system. Enter the NICS/ICS Pro Edition training DVD. Distributed by Advanced Safety Products, Inc (+ASP), the training DVD provides basic training in how to use the NIMS system but also provides testimonials from those scene commanders who have used it in real disasters.
Now, with as much time as I spend sitting in front of a computer, I'm not usually one who looks forward to doing it more for training. That said, the NIMS/ICS disk is a DVD and wasn't specifically designed to be "stand alone" training. Indeed the published material that came with it specifically states:
The DVD may be utilized in a standalone format (ICS 100 & 200) in conjunction with the free FEMA online testing programs, although this is not recommended, as it is a less effective method of teaching students.That said (quoted) the DVD is an excellent support resource that can be added to existing training programs comprised of classroom instruction, other learning materials and hands-on exercises.
Something else noted in the published material is the company's feeling that "it was necessary to utilize compelling video, along with experts who were immediately credible." This is all too true. I'll never forget some of the videos I was shown in Basic Training for the Army as they contained scenes from battle that sank into me and became a part of who I am. Those same videos were accompanied by lectures from veteran sergeants who could offer human and warrior insights into what we had seen. The NIMS/ICS DVD is the same way. The video scenes they've chosen to use are attention grabbing and the instructors who provide commentary / lecture don't come across as "talking heads". They are readily and easily presented as those who have "been there and done that" and are therefore acceptable in the eyes of the public safety community to teach such topics.
The DVD is broken down into seven chapters which include:
- Overview
- Incident Commander
- Command Staff
- Operations
- Planning
- Logistics
- Finance and Administration
According to the accompanying paperwork the first chapter covers the ICS-100 content with the remainder of the disk constituting the ICS-200 content. Additionally, again as an added resource, the DVD is reportedly handy in teaching the ICS-300 program, primarily used as a support resource.
One great thing about the DVD is that once your agency or department purchases it, it's available to train virtually everyone currently working for your agency/department or anyone new who comes aboard. The NIMS/ICS website has a list price of $675 for the training DVD. While some of you just gasped at the price tag I want you to think about this for a moment:
If you had to send six commanders to school for several days of training in the NIMS/ICS topic matter, how much would it cost you? ONE could cost you more than $675. Now consider how many people you can train for that ONE investment of $675 and realize that the cost can be broken down to well under $100 per person, and that's just using an example of training seven people. Train ten or twelve and all of a sudden your cost per person is less than $60.
Truth be told, this isn't a review I was looking forward to doing. It wasn't a subject matter I thought I'd be interested in. The DVD content - mostly due to the instructional structure and format accompanied by the videos used - captured my attention and made me eager to learn more about it. If you're in the market for such a training tool, this is one I can recommend.
