If a terrorist act strikes New Jersey, some 145,000 police, fire, and emergency personnel aim to be fully prepared to respond, thanks to a training program recently launched as part of the state’s homeland security initiative. Considered a blueprint for first responder training elsewhere, the program is being run by GeoLearning using its GeoMaestro on-demand learning management platform.
Among the key elements of the 3-year $2.56 million contract are detailed student training records and assessments of individual competencies in security-related skills. The former includes attendance and performance records in a database that will be employed by emergency management teams when planning for and responding to disasters. In the event of an incident, a call can go out within minutes to the responders with the necessary expertise.
The platform's numerous assessment tools have been performing a variety of functions since the contract was awarded in August 2004. “In first responder training, the first step is to determine—from an emergency preparedness standpoint—where the state is most vulnerable,” says JR Wymer, senior product specialist for West Des Moines, Iowa-based GeoLearning.
The GeoMaestro platform and its assessment-related features have fully met expectations, says Norman J. Easton, a training coordinator in New Jersey’s Office of the Attorney General. “We now have the ability to reach out to thousands of first responders in an immediate way,” he says. That includes sorting training performance data at state, county, regional and municipal levels to meet a variety of needs. The competency profiles also enable the state to certify individuals when necessary in their particular skills, he says. The reports produced from individual assessments enable managers, county supervisors and others to identify skills or overall competency health.
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