National Training and Education
Training provides first responders, homeland security officials, emergency management officials, private and non-governmental partners, and other personnel with the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform key tasks required by specific capabilities. Organizations should make training decisions based on information derived from the assessments, strategies, and plans developed in previous steps of the Preparedness Cycle. Regions, states and urban areas conduct Training and Exercise Planning Workshops (TEPW) to review and establish priorities for training and exercises and develop Multi-Year Training and Exercise Plans to address the priorities.
The National Preparedness Directorate (NPD) online Course Catalog provides searchable, integrated information on courses provided or managed by FEMA’s Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP), Emergency Management Institute (EMI), and National Training and Education Division (NTED). The information provided below provides a brief description and link to the associated institution to view their catalogs.
National Domestic Preparedness Consortium (NDPC)
The National Domestic Preparedness Consortium (NDPC) schools offer training free of charge for qualifying personnel in the following disciplines: Fire Service, Emergency Medical Service, Healthcare (non-EMS), Emergency Management, Public Health, HAZMAT, Law Enforcement, Public Works, Communications, Public Safety, and Governmental Administrative.
Center for Domestic Preparedness
The Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) develops and delivers advanced training for emergency response providers, emergency managers, and other government officials from state, local, and tribal governments. The CDP offers more than 50 training courses at its resident campus in Anniston, Alabama focusing on incident management, mass casualty response, and emergency response to a catastrophic natural disaster or terrorist act. Training at the CDP campus is federally funded at no cost to state, local, and tribal emergency response professionals or their agency. For more information on the CDP's specialized programs and courses, contact HSEM Training or
visit the CDP web site.
Emergency Management Institute
The Emergency Management Institute (EMI) serves as the national focal point for the development and delivery of emergency management training to enhance the capabilities of federal, state, local, and tribal government officials, volunteer organizations, and the public and private sectors to minimize the impact of disasters. You can see descriptions of various courses in the FEMA - EMI Course Catalog.
HSEM works with County, City, State and Tribal entities to bring in EMI courses for identified training needs in the state. Some EMI courses can be provided via local “L” (local) delivery. National Incident Management System (NIMS) Incident Command System (ICS) All-Hazard Position Specific courses are also coordinated through HSEM with EMI. HSEM Training requests entities wanting to hold any of these classes should plan on at least a 3-6 month approval timeframe. For more information, contact HSEM Training or visit the EMI web site.
National Training and Education Division (NTED)
NTED, formerly known as Training and Exercise Integration/ Training Operations (TEI/TO) serves the Nation's first responder community, offering more than 125 courses to help build critical skills that responders need to function effectively in mass consequence events. NTED primarily serves state, local, and tribal entities in 10 professional disciplines, but has expanded to serve private sector and citizens in recognition of their significant role in domestic preparedness. For more information, contact HSEM Training or visit the
NTED website.
National Fire Academy (NFA)
The National Fire Academy (NFA) is the training delivery arm of the United States Fire Administration (USFA). For more information,
visit the NFA website.
