University of Maryland’s National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) recently was awarded a contract to train fire intelligence officers and senior leaders within the National Capital Region.
The training will be through the Department of Homeland Security’s Urban Area Security Initiative, High Threat Liaison Program.
The multiday, multiweek long training course will focus on educating fire personnel on threats and vulnerabilities facing the region. It will provide a basic overview of terrorism and will discuss the evolution of radicalization, how terrorists exploit technologies and modern infrastructure, best practices for building an interagency task force, crisis leadership and decision-making, and designing and building for fire safety, emergency response and mass messaging.
START and other University of Maryland entities will partner with the Arlington County Fire Department and Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department to develop and deliver the program.
“START is excited about the opportunity to work with a local partner on a project which can directly impact our regional community’s preparedness and resilience,” Liberty Day, START assistant director of training and education, said. “Not only does the partnership have the benefit of fitting within our organizational mission, but it also brings together multiple units on campus to develop an academically informed curriculum based on each unit’s respective expertise.”