Training for Medical Reserve Corps Volunteers

All MRC volunteers will be trained to help the county's public health professionals do whatever is needed, at the time, to prevent and minimize disease and injuries in our community.  The national MRC Program Office has developed basic core competencies for MRC volunteers. Free online training in the Incident Command System [ICS] and National Incident Management System [NIMS] is offered by the Emergency Management Institute. IS-100 and IS-700 are required courses for all Sussex County Medical Reserve Corps volunteers.

• IS-100: Introduction to Incident Command System (ICS) is available online as an interactive course which introduces the principles of ICS including major functions and their primary responsibilities, organizational units, span of control and Incident Action Plans.
  
  Who must take IS-100? All federal, state, territorial, local, tribal, private sector and non-governmental personnel at the entry level, first line supervisor level, middle management level, and command and general staff level of emergency management operations.
  
  Access the online IS-100: Introduction to Incident Command System.
• National Incident Management System (NIMS) Homeland Security Presidential Directive 8 mandates training in NIMS 700 for all personnel who are involved in emergency preparedness, incident management or response.
  
  IS-700 NIMS: An Introduction is a Web based awareness level course that explains NIMS components, concepts and principles. NIMS is a comprehensive national approach to incident management applicable at all jurisdictional levels and across functional disciplines. There are a total of 8 lessons. Each lesson will take you between 15 and 30 minutes to complete.
  
  Who must take IS-700? All personnel with a direct role in emergency preparedness, incident management or response must complete this training.
  
  Access the online IS-700 NIMS: An Introduction
• Orientation to Public Health - The New York - New Jersey Public Health Training Center (https://phtc-online.org) has a web based course entitled "Orientation to Public Health". It is a good introduction for the public and professionals who are not working in public health to familiarize themselves with the kind of work that takes place at a local health department.
• The New Jersey Learning Management Network is New Jersey's principal online resource for public health workforce development, training, licensing and certification
  
  The NJLMN is a group of Course Provider Communities and a web-based resource for national, state and local agencies to distribute, manage and track training and education information among those involved with New Jersey's Public Health, Safety and Emergency Preparedness.
• The Nursing Center for Bioterrorism and Emerging Infectious Diseases Preparedness at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, College of Nursing serves as a primary source of education, information and research initiatives for nurses, nurse practitioners, and all allied nursing personnel on practice matters relating biological, chemical, and nuclear terrorism as well as emerging infectious diseases.
• The Northern New Jersey Chapter of the American Red Cross. First Aid/CPR/AED Classes are offered.