Center for Domestic Preparedness
Encyclopedia
The Center for Domestic Preparedness is the only U.S. federal facility chartered to provide comprehensive preparedness training programs to the nation’s emergency response providers. As of 2007, it is part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA).
from 1979 to the late 1990s.
Fort McClellan was identified for closure by the 1995 Base Realignment and Closure
(BRAC) Commission. In 1998, the plan to establish a federally-operated site to train civilian emergency responders was put into motion using facilities already in place at Fort McClellan. This training facility would be called the Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP).
The conception of the CDP can be traced back to the 1995 Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway
. As that event unfolded, public safety officials in New York City
sought ways to prevent such an event in their city. These officials asked the Department of Defense
(DoD) for permission to allow civilian responders to train at Ft. McClellan's Chemical Defense Training Facility (CDTF). DoD officials granted access to toxic agent training at the U.S. Army Chemical School. The first class of civilian emergency responders graduated in late 1995, and civilian responders continued to train at the Army facility until 1998 as Ft. McClellan continued its closure transition.
Elected officials from across Alabama and local community leaders continued to seek ways to utilize the soon-to-be-abandoned Army facility. A concept was developed and presented to members of Congress, who recognized the national benefit of having a facility dedicated to training civilian emergency responders under federal government management.
The CDP was originally established under the management of United States Department of Justice
(DoJ). In April 1998, DoJ held an emergency responder stakeholders conference regarding Weapon of mass destruction (WMD) training. Responders from across the nation identified the CDP's toxic chemical agent training scenarios as training that would benefit both immediate and long-term WMD training needs.
In June 1998, the CDP opened its doors as a training center for the nation's emergency response providers. In addition, DoJ invited the CDP to become a member of the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium (NDPC).
The NDPC originally comprised the CDP; the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
(National Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center) (NMIMT); Louisiana State University (LSU) (Academy of Counter-Terrorist Education); Texas A&M University (National Emergency Response and Rescue Training Center); and the U.S. Department of Energy's Nevada Test Site
(National Exercise, Test, and Training Center) (NTS).
In accordance with the Improving America's Security Act of 2007
, the Transportation Technology Center (Colorado); and the University of Hawaii Center of Excellence for Natural Disaster Preparedness Training (Hawaii) joined the NDPC.
In 2003, the CDP transferred to the Department of Homeland Security
(DHS); in 2007, DHS transferred that authority to FEMA.
On March 31, 2007, the Noble Training Facility (NTF) was integrated into the CDP training center. The former Noble Army Hospital was converted into a training site for health and medical education in disasters, to include both acts of terrorism and manmade disasters. The NTF is the only hospital facility in the United States that trains hospital and healthcare workers in disaster preparedness and response.
While each of the members of the NDPC provides specific training and education to emergency responders in a variety of WMD and hazardous materials subjects, the CDP trains emergency responders in 10 diverse responder disciplines: Emergency Management, Emergency Medical Services, Fire Service, Governmental Administrative, Hazardous Materials, Healthcare, Law Enforcement, Public Health, Public Safety Communications, and Public Works.
By October 2001, the 2,400 emergency responders had participated in CDP training programs; that number would increase to more than 10,000 the following year, in the wake of the September 11th attacks
on the World Trade Center.
One component of the CDP training program is the toxic agent Chemical, Ordnance, Biological, and Radiological Training Facility (COBRATF). The COBRATF features civilian training exercises in a genuine toxic environment, using the chemical agents GB and VX
.These toxins are typically referred to as nerve agents and are included in the United Nations Chemical Weapons Convention
that allows for use in defensive training in a controlled environment. The Army Institute of Research says the use of genuine nerve agents promotes confidence, the advanced hands-on training enables responders to effectively prevent, respond to, and recover from real-world incidents involving acts of terrorism and other hazardous materials.
Responders from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and all U.S. territories have trained at the CDP. Numerous federal and non-federal training partnerships enable the CDP staff to share knowledge, to ensure the nation’s responders receive the most up-to-date training. The CDP offers 38 courses that offer emergency responders a wide range of training. All courses are available as resident training and select courses completed through non-resident programs to include mobile training units.
In 2011, FEMA began using the CDP as a staging area for major disaster response. It will eventually become one of four National Staging Areas across the country developed for this purpose. Disaster responders will be processed through the CDP and receive critical training prior to deployment. At the CDP, the staging area is located in the Noble Training Facility (NTF). Personnel reporting to the NTF may wish to use the following directions, as GPS guidance has sometimes been unreliable.
From the Atlanta airport: Take 285 West to I-20 West. Drive approximately 90 miles.
From the Birmingham airport: Take I-20 East. Drive approximately 60 miles.
On I-20 take Exit 188 (Oxford, AL). The NTF is about 5 miles north. Specific directions follow:
At Walgreens, the Leon Smith Parkway becomes Golden Springs Road. Continue straight ahead.
As you climb the long hill, stay to the right. When the road ends, turn right onto the two-lane road.
Continue about four miles to the STOP sign. Take the first left AFTER the STOP sign.
You are now on Iron Mountain Road. You will pass the lodging area on your left. Continue straight.
At the next STOP sign, Iron Mtn. Rd. turns into Eglin Road. Continue straight till the road ends.
Turn left on Goode Drive. Turn left again at Federal Way.
The Noble Training Facility is now on your left. Park and report to the Security Desk.
Federal Emergency Management Agency
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, initially created by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978 and implemented by two Executive Orders...
(FEMA).
History
The United States Army Chemical School provided training to U.S. military forces to prepare and respond to chemical agent exposure and attacks. Although the chemical school was established in 1951, it became a permanent fixture at Fort McClellanFort McClellan
Fort McClellan, originally Camp McClellan, was a United States Army post located adjacent to the city of Anniston, Alabama. During World War II, it was one of the largest U.S. Army installations, training an estimated half-million troops...
from 1979 to the late 1990s.
Fort McClellan was identified for closure by the 1995 Base Realignment and Closure
Base Realignment and Closure
Base Realignment and Closure is a process of the United States federal government directed at the administration and operation of the Armed Forces, used by the United States Department of Defense and Congress to close excess military installations and realign the total asset inventory to reduce...
(BRAC) Commission. In 1998, the plan to establish a federally-operated site to train civilian emergency responders was put into motion using facilities already in place at Fort McClellan. This training facility would be called the Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP).
The conception of the CDP can be traced back to the 1995 Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway
Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway
The Sarin attack on the Tokyo subway, usually referred to in the Japanese media as the , was an act of domestic terrorism perpetrated by members of Aum Shinrikyo on March 20, 1995....
. As that event unfolded, public safety officials in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
sought ways to prevent such an event in their city. These officials asked the Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
(DoD) for permission to allow civilian responders to train at Ft. McClellan's Chemical Defense Training Facility (CDTF). DoD officials granted access to toxic agent training at the U.S. Army Chemical School. The first class of civilian emergency responders graduated in late 1995, and civilian responders continued to train at the Army facility until 1998 as Ft. McClellan continued its closure transition.
Elected officials from across Alabama and local community leaders continued to seek ways to utilize the soon-to-be-abandoned Army facility. A concept was developed and presented to members of Congress, who recognized the national benefit of having a facility dedicated to training civilian emergency responders under federal government management.
The CDP was originally established under the management of United States Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
(DoJ). In April 1998, DoJ held an emergency responder stakeholders conference regarding Weapon of mass destruction (WMD) training. Responders from across the nation identified the CDP's toxic chemical agent training scenarios as training that would benefit both immediate and long-term WMD training needs.
In June 1998, the CDP opened its doors as a training center for the nation's emergency response providers. In addition, DoJ invited the CDP to become a member of the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium (NDPC).
The NDPC originally comprised the CDP; the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology is a university located in Socorro, New Mexico....
(National Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center) (NMIMT); Louisiana State University (LSU) (Academy of Counter-Terrorist Education); Texas A&M University (National Emergency Response and Rescue Training Center); and the U.S. Department of Energy's Nevada Test Site
Nevada Test Site
The Nevada National Security Site , previously the Nevada Test Site , is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas...
(National Exercise, Test, and Training Center) (NTS).
In accordance with the Improving America's Security Act of 2007
Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007
The Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 , is an Act of Congress. The Act implements some of the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission including mandating 100% inspection of all air and sea cargo entering the United States, and a new method of redistributing...
, the Transportation Technology Center (Colorado); and the University of Hawaii Center of Excellence for Natural Disaster Preparedness Training (Hawaii) joined the NDPC.
In 2003, the CDP transferred to the Department of Homeland Security
United States Department of Homeland Security
The United States Department of Homeland Security is a cabinet department of the United States federal government, created in response to the September 11 attacks, and with the primary responsibilities of protecting the territory of the United States and protectorates from and responding to...
(DHS); in 2007, DHS transferred that authority to FEMA.
On March 31, 2007, the Noble Training Facility (NTF) was integrated into the CDP training center. The former Noble Army Hospital was converted into a training site for health and medical education in disasters, to include both acts of terrorism and manmade disasters. The NTF is the only hospital facility in the United States that trains hospital and healthcare workers in disaster preparedness and response.
Activities
The training center provides responders with knowledge to prevent, protect, respond to, and recover from chemical, biological, explosive, radiological, or other hazardous materials incidents.While each of the members of the NDPC provides specific training and education to emergency responders in a variety of WMD and hazardous materials subjects, the CDP trains emergency responders in 10 diverse responder disciplines: Emergency Management, Emergency Medical Services, Fire Service, Governmental Administrative, Hazardous Materials, Healthcare, Law Enforcement, Public Health, Public Safety Communications, and Public Works.
By October 2001, the 2,400 emergency responders had participated in CDP training programs; that number would increase to more than 10,000 the following year, in the wake of the September 11th attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
on the World Trade Center.
One component of the CDP training program is the toxic agent Chemical, Ordnance, Biological, and Radiological Training Facility (COBRATF). The COBRATF features civilian training exercises in a genuine toxic environment, using the chemical agents GB and VX
VX (nerve agent)
VX, IUPAC name O-ethyl S-[2-ethyl] methylphosphonothioate, is an extremely toxic substance whose only application is in chemical warfare as a nerve agent. As a chemical weapon, it is classified as a weapon of mass destruction by the United Nations in UN Resolution 687...
.These toxins are typically referred to as nerve agents and are included in the United Nations Chemical Weapons Convention
Chemical Weapons Convention
The Chemical Weapons Convention is an arms control agreement which outlaws the production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons. Its full name is the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction...
that allows for use in defensive training in a controlled environment. The Army Institute of Research says the use of genuine nerve agents promotes confidence, the advanced hands-on training enables responders to effectively prevent, respond to, and recover from real-world incidents involving acts of terrorism and other hazardous materials.
Responders from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and all U.S. territories have trained at the CDP. Numerous federal and non-federal training partnerships enable the CDP staff to share knowledge, to ensure the nation’s responders receive the most up-to-date training. The CDP offers 38 courses that offer emergency responders a wide range of training. All courses are available as resident training and select courses completed through non-resident programs to include mobile training units.
In 2011, FEMA began using the CDP as a staging area for major disaster response. It will eventually become one of four National Staging Areas across the country developed for this purpose. Disaster responders will be processed through the CDP and receive critical training prior to deployment. At the CDP, the staging area is located in the Noble Training Facility (NTF). Personnel reporting to the NTF may wish to use the following directions, as GPS guidance has sometimes been unreliable.
From the Atlanta airport: Take 285 West to I-20 West. Drive approximately 90 miles.
From the Birmingham airport: Take I-20 East. Drive approximately 60 miles.
On I-20 take Exit 188 (Oxford, AL). The NTF is about 5 miles north. Specific directions follow:
At Walgreens, the Leon Smith Parkway becomes Golden Springs Road. Continue straight ahead.
As you climb the long hill, stay to the right. When the road ends, turn right onto the two-lane road.
Continue about four miles to the STOP sign. Take the first left AFTER the STOP sign.
You are now on Iron Mountain Road. You will pass the lodging area on your left. Continue straight.
At the next STOP sign, Iron Mtn. Rd. turns into Eglin Road. Continue straight till the road ends.
Turn left on Goode Drive. Turn left again at Federal Way.
The Noble Training Facility is now on your left. Park and report to the Security Desk.