GeoLearning is offering free access to three courses designed to help organizations prepare for a possible flu pandemic, such as H1N1 flu or other disasters.
By taking the Pandemic Flu Awareness Course you will learn:
- The key differences between a pandemic flu and regular seasonal flu.
- Key facts associated with pandemic flu.
- Identify the kinds of pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical interventions that can be used to prevent or slow the spread of the flu.
- Tips for creating your own personal pandemic preparedness plan.
Two additional courses, developed in accordance with National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) standards, are provided to help you build your company’s disaster recovery, emergency management and business continuity plans. These courses provide information on developing plans that would align with the NFPA’s 1600 Standard, the benchmark for continuity and emergency planners in the U.S. Topics covered in these two courses include:
- How to identify risks and vulnerabilities for your situation.
- Guidelines for stabilizing and restoring infrastructure.
- How to protect the health and safety of your employees.
- Crisis communication procedures.
- How to write a business continuity plan.
- The training requirements for disaster preparedness and business continuity planning.
Register for these free courses at www.geolearning.com/beprepared.
Pandemic Flu Awareness
Overview/Description
In October 2005, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimated that if pandemic flu was to hit the US, approximately 200,000 to 2 million people could possibly die. This was based on models from past pandemics – the Spanish Flu (1918), the Asian Flu (1957), and the Hong Kong Flu (1968). The government further estimates that up to 40% of the workforce could be absent from work at the height of a pandemic wave. The potential impact on the social and economic infrastructure is enormous. To address this, the government has released a response plan called the "National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza Implementation Plan," referred to as "the Strategy." The Strategy outlines the roles and responsibilities of governmental and nongovernmental entities, but clearly indicates that the center of gravity for pandemic response will be at the community level. According to the Strategy, "sustaining the operations of critical infrastructure under conditions of pandemic influenza will depend largely on each organization's development and implementation plans for business continuity of operations under conditions of staffing shortages and to protect the health of their workforce." In other words, it is essential for all institutions and businesses to develop their own pandemic plan. It isn't too early to start planning how you and your organization will respond to the very real threat of a flu pandemic. In fact, there could be a point when it is too late. This course is designed to increase awareness of the pandemic threat the flu poses and to provide information that can be used to form the basis of preparedness and prevention for your organization. This course also includes the latest information concerning the H1N1 (swine) flu which the World Health Organization has indicated that a pandemic is underway.
Target Audience
All employees, supervisors, and managers.
Expected Duration (hours)
1.0
Lesson Objectives
Pandemic Flu Awareness
- Recognize key differences between a pandemic flu and the regular seasonal flu.
- Identify key facts associated with the swine and bird flu.
- Recognize key concepts associated with the flu in humans.
- Identify the factors that influence the speed with which the flu could become pandemic.
- Identify the types of nonpharmaceutical interventions that may be used to limit or prevent the spread of flu.
- Identify key concepts associated with pharmaceutical interventions used to limit or prevent the spread of flu.
- Identify key concepts associated with actions the US government is taking to track and prevent the spread. of the flu.
- Match the categories of hazard controls suggested by OSHA with examples.
- Recognize examples of considerations for inclusion in a personal pandemic preparedness plan.
NFPA 1600 Disaster/Emergency Management
Overview/Description
Over the past decade, emergency management and business continuity planning have been recognized as necessary to continued operational success in both the public and private sectors. Key to this was the development and widespread use of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standard on Disaster/Emergency Management and Business Continuity Programs (NFPA 1600). The NFPA 1600 standard is a description of the basic criteria for a comprehensive program that addresses disaster recovery, emergency management, and business continuity. NFPA 1600 is considered by many to be an excellent benchmark for continuity and emergency planners in both the public and private sectors. The standard addresses methodologies for defining and identifying risks and vulnerabilities and provides planning guidelines that address stabilizing the restoration of the physical infrastructure, protecting the health and safety of personnel, and crisis communications procedures. This course will provide you with an understanding of the basic criteria for developing a comprehensive program that addresses disaster recovery and emergency management in accordance with the NFPA 1600 standard.
Target Audience
Those involved in public and private disaster management, emergency management, and business programs.
Prerequisites
None
Expected Duration (hours)
1.0
Lesson Objectives
NFPA 1600 Disaster/Emergency Management
- Identify the entities to which the NFPA 1600 standard applies.
- Recognize the benefits of adhering to NFPA 1600.
- Identify the elements that should be defined in a documented NFPA 1600 program.
- Recognize the roles of the program coordinator and the advisory committee in managing the
NFPA 1600 program.
- Identify the resources required for an NFPA 1600 program.
- Recognize the NFPA 1600 procedural requirements for identifying and assessing hazards.
- Recognize the requirements for hazard mitigation under NFPA 1600.
- Identify the components required for program planning, training, and evaluation under NFPA 1600.
- Identify response and recovery procedures required under NFPA 1600 in a given scenario.
NFPA 1600 Business Continuity Programs
Overview/Description
Whether it is a natural disaster that sweeps through your city or a computer virus that destroys vital electronic information, businesses need to be able to recover their services and operations as soon as possible if such a disaster does occur. A Business Continuity Program involves planning the recovery of operations when confronted with adverse events such as natural disasters, technological failures, human error, and terrorism. This course provides a basic understanding of the criteria for a comprehensive program that addresses business continuity in accordance with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standard 1600, entitled Disaster/Emergency Management and Business Continuity Programs.
Target Audience
Supervisors, managers, or any employee involved in business continuity planning in private enterprises and government and municipal facilities.
Expected Duration (hours)
1.0
Lesson Objectives
NFPA 1600 Business Continuity Programs
- Identify the functions of a Business Continuity Program (BCP).
- Match the personnel involved in a Business Continuity Program with their responsibilities.
- Identify the main considerations of the risk assessment process.
- Match the risks that may be recorded in a risk assessment with their correct type.
- Match the business continuity risks to their probability and impact on the business in a given scenario.
- Identify the steps involved in conducting a Business Impact Analysis.
- Identify the factors to consider when creating a strategic plan for a Business Continuity Program.
- Identify the information that should be included in a written Business Continuity Program.
- Identify the general requirements for a written Business Continuity Program.
- Identify training requirements for the successful implementation of a BCP.
- Identify the personnel required for a crisis management team.
- Recognize the testing process used for a BCP in a given scenario.
- Identify the requirements for updating the BCP.
Register for these free courses at www.geolearning.com/beprepared.
