Trainings Offered



SEPA VOAD offers various trainings to its members.  Some trainings are available for individual groups while others are offered as special opportunities for our members.

SEPA VOAD Basic Training

The SEPA VOAD Basic Training, "Preparing for and Responding to Disasters," is a 3-hour, course that introduces participants to the program,  steps to take to prepare ones self and family and introduces information regarding volunteer response.  This class can be hosted by a SEPA VOAD member agency and participants are given the opportunity to become SEPA VOAD volunteers.  To learn more about this course, please see our Basic Training FAQ.

Adult CPR/AED and First Aid

Participants learn how to best respond to emergency situations in the home or office so that they are able to provide care for breathing emergencies, perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and use an automated external defibrillator (AED) for victims of sudden cardiac arrest. CPR/AED certifications last 1 year and First Aid certification lasts 3 years.

American Red Cross Emergency Services Courses

Members are eligible to participate in selected emergency services courses.  In the past, these have included Shelter Operations, Logistics, Public Affairs, and others.

Animals in Disaster

This training gives pet owners the tools to prepare for their pets before a disaster strikes.  Attendees learn how to prepare for specific types of animals and what steps to take to be certain their pet is properly cared for during a disaster.  Ways to become involved in animal response are included.

Call Center Training

Participants learn how to work in the local American Red Cross Call Center during a disaster.  Members answer phones, complete casework, and disperse information.  Must be computer literate.

Community Presenter Program

SEPA VOAD members who enjoy public speaking are encouraged to learn to deliver the three-hour SEPA VOAD Basic Training course, “Preparing for and Responding to Disasters.”  Attendees learn the course through observing the course, studying materials, coaching from the SEPA VOAD Trainer and co-instruction.  Attendees who successfully pass the course quiz then work with the trainer to co-instruct or be observed delivering the training.  SEPA VOAD volunteer Instructors must be willing to teach the course as written, photograph volunteers, and turn in all accompanying paperwork.

Pandemic/POD Training

As time passes, we are becoming more aware of the importance of preparing for epidemics and pandemics.  Through SEPA VOAD trainings and partnerships with the various health departments in the region, members learn how they can become personally prepared and how they can help during this unique disaster. 

Psychological First Aid

During a disaster, both relief workers and disaster clients can experience traumatic stress reactions.  Knowing how to recognize these reactions and what to do when you recognize them can make the disaster recovery process healthier for all involved.  Members learn about these reactions and to whom they should turn when they see the signs in themselves and others.

Sheltering in Your Community/Shelter Drill

This training addresses the need for volunteers who understand the sheltering system and is often accompanied by a drill, during which members have the opportunity to role play shelter staff and clients.

Topics in Terrorism

When faced with terrorism or weapons of mass destruction, many think there is little the average citizen can do to mitigate and prepare for disaster.  This course teaches the importance of citizen awareness while detailing the types of weapons that can be used and techniques for surviving them.

FEMA Online Courses

The Emergency Management Institute(EMI) at FEMA offers online courses to help you broaden your knowledge of the Incident Command System.  The EMI has Incident Command System (ICS) cirricula with courses that meet the requirements specified in the national Incident Management System (NIMS).  To learn more about these courses and to take them online, click here.