21st Century Essential NBC Reference Series: Citizen¿s Guide to Disaster Assistance, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Independent Study Course Manual (Bioterrorism, Nuclear, Biological, Chemical, Radiation and Radiological Terrorism, Germ Warfar

This is an up-to-date independent study course training manual produced by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) providing a citizen’s guide to disaster assistance (IS-07). The course overview states:

"A disaster can disrupt our lives with little or no notice. Since disasters occur so infrequently, we often fail to give them much thought before they happen. When disaster does strike, citizens may be caught unprepared for the variety of questions that arise about how to protect themselves, their families, and their property. After the emergency is over, they confront additional crucial needs for information. Where can they get help? What assistance is available? This independent study course will address these issues and explain the importance of pre-disaster preparedness. It is intended for the general public as well as those in the emergency management community who want to obtain a basic understanding of disaster assistance. It is not the purpose of the course to be an operations manual for disaster assistance programs. This course has five units:

Unit One, Introduction to Disaster Assistance, will provide an overview of disaster assistance and explain the responsibilities of communities, voluntary agencies, State government, and the Federal government in providing relief services. It will also deal with common misconceptions about disaster assistance. Unit Two, How Communities and States Deal With Disasters, will describe the response and recovery activities that occur at both the local and the State levels in the event of a disaster. Unit Three, Overview of Federal Assistance, will describe the role of the Federal government in disaster assistance and provide a brief history of Federal disaster relief. The process by which a Presidential disaster declaration is made will be explained, and Federal assistance programs will be discussed. Unit Four, Federal Disaster Assistance in Action, will describe common sources of information about Federal major disaster assistance and explain how individuals and communities can obtain this assistance. Unit Five, The Citizen’s Role in Disaster Preparedness, will present preparedness activities that help individuals and families prepare to survive a disaster."

This is the complete course manual made available by FEMA as part of the Emergency Management Institute Independent Study program, described this way by FEMA:

FEMA’s Independent Study Program is one of the delivery channels that the Emergency Management Institute (EMI) uses to provide training to the general public and specific audiences. Within the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, United States Fire Administration, operates the Emergency Management Institute (EMI). EMI produces independent study courses to train the general public as well as specific target audiences. The EMI Independent Study program consists of self-paced courses designed for people who have emergency management responsibilities and the general public. . .and college credit can be obtained through a for-fee service. Each Independent Study Course includes lessons with practice exercises and a final examination. Students who score 75 percent or better are issued a certificate of achievement from EMI. Course completion times vary from two to fourteen hours, depending on the course and the student’s background.