Development,Implementation andOutcomes of a Training Program for Responders to Acts of Terrorism

Introduction. Responding to acts of terrorism requires the effective use of public-safety andmedical-response resources. The knowledge, skills andattitudes necessary to respond to future threats is unfamiliar to most emergency responders. Objectives. The purpose of this report to describe the development, implementation andevaluation of a multidisciplinary, interactive andsimulation-enhanced course to prepare responders to acts of terrorism. Methods. We used a 5-step systematic process to develop a blended-learning, simulation-enhanced training program. Learners completed a self-confidence questionnaire andwritten examination prior to the course anda self-confidence questionnaire, written examination andcourse evaluation when they finished the course. Results. From July 7, 2003 to March 8, 2005, 497 consenting learners completed the course. After course completion, learners demonstrated significant increases in their knowledge of terrorism response (t = ?64.3, df = 496, p < 0.05) andtheir confidence in responding to terrorist events (t = ?45.5, df = 496, p < 0.05). Learner feedback about the course was highly positive. Conclusions. We successfully implemented a two-day course for professionals likely to respond to terrorist acts that included scenario-based performance training andassessment. Course participants increased their knowledge andwere more confident in their ability to respond to acts of terrorism after participating in this course.