Training Opportunities

EDITORIAL COMMENT: The officers of PAVOAD and the editors of this Update are doing our best to bring you the best and most up-to-date information available about meetings, training, and much more.  Please verify that trainings, etc. you would like to attend are still being held and send us an email at pavoad4@gmail.com if you find we need to make corrections.  Thanks!

🔵🔵PANO will present the webinar, “Generative AI in Action, Practical AI for Mission-Driven Work” on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, from 9 – 9:45 AM ET.  In this session, Aaron Proietti, founder of Today’s Innovator, will describe where AI stands today and how to put it to work.  This webinar is available to PANO members only. To express your interest in attending, contact Karl Jones, at kjones275@comcast.net.  Learn more.

🔵🔵 The Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) will present the webinar, Funding What Comes Next: Equitable Recovery After Record-Breaking Wildfires on Wednesday, August 26, at 1 PM ET. It will explore how philanthropy can support equitable, locally-led recovery following the wildfire season.   Register.

🔵🔵The ADA National Network will present the webinar: Disability & Health in Extreme Weather Contexts: Identifying Challenges & Building Resilience, on Thursday, August 27, 2026, at 11:30 AM ET.  Learn more and register.

🔵🔵ReImagine Appalachia, Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center, and The National Wildlife Federation will present the webinar, “Nature Based Hazard Mitigation: Approaches for Flood resiliency in Appalachia” on Thursday, August 27, 2026, at 1 PM ET.  Learn how we can work with the land to boost flood water absorption, create new jobs, and repair land.  Register. 

🔵🔵FEMA and the DHS Center for Faith is presenting the webinar: An Overview of FEMA Public Assistance for Private Nonprofits, on Thursday, August 27, 2026, at 2 PM ET.  Learn more and register.

🔵🔵 The federal government recently passed the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act. Included in the law is section 504, the Reforming Disaster Recovery Act, which brings about significant changes to long-term disaster recovery policy in the United States.  ICF is presenting a webinar on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, at 12 noon ET, that will cover all the major changes under the law, including:

 ·    What the bill creates and HUD’s new administrative role and capacity 

·     How the Long-Term Disaster Recovery Fund is funded  

·     Eligible grantees, requirements to receive funds, allocation formula and allocation priorities, timing, and preliminary funding 

·     Action plans, unmet needs, public consultation, and HUD approval 

·     Eligible uses, mitigation, and environmental review 

·     Program duration, sunset, and next steps 

Register.

🔵🔵 FEMA’s National Disaster & Emergency Management University will be conducting these classes on volunteer and donation training in Harrisburg next month:  L288 Local Volunteer and Donations Management & L489 Management of Spontaneous Volunteers in Disasters at Colonial Park Fire Department, 433 S. Houcks Rd, Harrisburg PA 17109 on Monday, September 14 – Tuesday, September 15, 2026.  Registration is available on TRAIN: 288 and 489 are a package deal for this offering – please register for both.

L288 Registration<https://www.train.org/pa/course/1126911/live-event>

L489 Registration<https://www.train.org/pa/course/1077168/live-event>

There is also a Train the Trainer class on Wednesday, September 16, 2026.   Contact Christine at cheyser@pa.gov for permission to register at <https://www.train.org/pa/course/1138870/live-event>

🔵🔵 The Pennsylvania Office of Homeland Security is offering four in-person trainings in September and October 2026 –

NTER Threat Evaluation and Reporting Overview 4-Hour (2 identical offerings)

                     September 23, 2026            8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. ET   Register

                     October 27, 2026                 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. ET   Register

Location: Commonwealth Charter Academy, 1 Innovation Way, Harrisburg, PA 17110

    The Threat Evaluation and Reporting Overview (TERO) is a free four-hour in-person introductory training intended for the public and community members who play a role in identifying threats or observable behaviors that may concern others. The TERO emphasizes the importance of community involvement and raises awareness about the behavioral approach to violence prevention, while respecting privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties.

NTER Basic Threat Evaluation and Reporting Course 8-Hour (2 identical offerings)

                       September 22, 2026          8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. ET   Register

                       October 29, 2026               8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. ET   Register

Location: Commonwealth Charter Academy, 1 Innovation Way, Harrisburg, PA 17110

    B-TERC is a free one-day in-person training that teaches participants how to help assist in preventing acts of targeted violence, such as, but not limited to, terrorism, school shootings, or mass attacks in public spaces by identifying those threats or observable behaviors that may indicate the potential for violence. Lunch will be provided.

For more information:  Email: ra-homelandsecurity@pa.gov or go to <http://www.homelandsecurity.pa.gov/.

🔵🔵Bucks County os hosting the Infrastructure Disaster Management Certificate series in 2026.  Here are the individual courses:

🔵🔵The Pennsylvania Office of Homeland Security is offering a community-focused webinar on strengthening emergency preparedness, building partnerships with local responders, and learning how faith communities and other organizations can provide meaningful support before, during, and after a crisis on Friday, October 15, 2026, from 9 AM to 12 Noon ET.  Designed for houses of worship and safety teams, this session also welcomes nonprofits, schools, and community organizations committed to serving their communities. Gain practical tools and resources to help your organization respond with compassion, coordination, and confidence. Together, we can strengthen our communities and be better prepared to provide care, resources, and hope to our neighbors during times of crisis.  Visit this website to explore the full range of training opportunities to help build preparedness and strengthen our communities.  Register.

🔵🔵MGT-460: Planning for Disaster Debris Management will be presented on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, at the Erie County Department of Public Safety, 2880 Flower Road, Erie, PA 16509, from 8 AM to 5 PM ET.  You will learn how to effectively plan debris management for your community.  If you plan to attend, please register no later than September 23rd, 2026.  At least 20 people must be registered by that date or the class will be cancelled.  Learn more and register.  After you register please send your name, agency/organization, and phone number to Don Bovard.

🔵🔵The National Disaster and Emergency Management University (NDEMU) is presenting training for local communities to prepare for and manage the Mass Care/Emergency Assistance (MC/EA) functions effectively.  The goal is to prepare community agencies, organizations, and businesses to work together in coordination with emergency management and traditional MC providers to plan and provide MC/EA services to those affected by disaster.  Formats and Dates:

  • E 0108 (In Person) at the National Emergency Training Center (NETC) Emmitsburg, MD

           January 11-12, 2027;  or August 2-3, 2027

  • K 0108 (Virtual)    December 2-4, 2026;  or  June 28-30, 2027

To apply for this course, participants should complete the NETC Online Admissions Application at: https://training.fema.gov/generaladmissionsapplication/staticforms/startapplication.aspx.  The application process requires supervisory approval through email verification.

Recorded Training Opportunities and Catalogs

🔵🔵The Secure Community Network (SCN) has announced their 2026 High Holidays Safety and Security Webinar Series, designed in partnership with security professionals, law enforcement, clergy, and lay and professional leadership.  The series provides information, tools, and best practices to navigate the season with confidence. It features a comprehensive curriculum ranging from foundational threat awareness to specialized briefings for campus and community leaders.  Explore the full schedule here.

🔵🔵 Mitch Stripling is the director of the NYC Preparedness and Recovery Institute (PRI) and the author of the new book, The Epistemology of Disasters and Social Change, and its accompanying podcast, Tough Shift.  He gave this presentation at the NVOAD Conference in May on how AI can support the work we do.

🔵🔵The National Disaster and Emergency Management University (NDEMU) is accepting registrations for training courses this quarter to be held across various partnering states and territories. These trainings strengthen capabilities for state, local, Tribal, and territorial (SLTT) government officials, emergency managers, first responders, and community partners nationwide. Whether you are building foundational expertise or sharpening executive-level skills, NDEMU courses deliver relevant, high-quality instruction that supports communities across the nation by building more resilient and capable state, local, tribal, and territorial emergency management agencies.  Learn more. Apply early — seats will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

🔵🔵The Salvation Army offers Emergency Disaster Services training courses that are designed to equip faith and community leaders with tools to build stronger, connected communities, fostering resilience and empowering service. These free courses are self-paced and available in both English and Spanish. Read a press release here and access the training website here!

🔵🔵 The U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) is pleased to offer live recurring virtual training events on violence prevention to community safety stakeholders throughout the year. In these trainings, NTAC experts and researchers will present findings from NTAC’s research on targeted violence and discuss strategies for preventing acts of violence in our communities. Click here for more information about these training events.

🔵🔵The National Disaster Preparedness Training Center (NDPTC) has released their catalog of virtual training opportunities through 2026.  You can visit their website to view the full schedule and register.  Some examples of course offerings are:

  • AWR-228: Community Resilience
  • AWR-326: Tornado Awareness
  • AWR-343: Hurricane Awareness
  • AWR-362: Flooding Hazards Science & Preparedness
  • MGT-331: Community Planning for Disaster Recovery
  • MGT-460: Planning for Disaster Debris Management
  • MGT-461: Evacuation Planning Strategies and Solutions
  • MGT-474: Mitigating Hazards with Land-Use Planning
  • PER-343: Social Media Engagement Strategies
  • PER-344: Social Media Tools and Techniques

🔵🔵The Lehigh Emergency Services Training Academy (LESTA) was established to coordinate the delivery of training to all fire and rescue services, EMS and Law Enforcement within Lehigh County, PA. Through partnerships with several public safety training organizations, LESTA seeks to provide high-quality programs for firefighters and rescue personnel and is committed to meeting the training needs of all first responders in Lehigh County. Out of county students: It is LESTA’s policy not to turn away out of county students if in-county (LEHIGH) students are given priority.  Read the latest Training Newsletter.

🔵🔵 The Pacific ADA Center has recorded the webinar, “Your Rights as a Person with a Disability Under the ADA in Emergency Preparedness”.  You can view it here.

🔵🔵 The National Weather Service offers a program called SKYWARN Storm Spotters.  These trainings are offered throughout the year and in various locations. Find a class. 

🔵🔵 AWR-423-W: Mass Care Shelter and Relocation Communication (Web based) is available on TRAIN.  The estimated time of completion is 1.5 hours.  This web-based course provides participants with an understanding of messaging for shelter and evacuation operations and reviews at-risk populations and messaging for the whole community. By the end of the course participants will be able to fulfill the following learning objectives:

  • Identify multiple effective communication strategies for individuals and households about where to find information on evacuation and shelters.
  • Identify the ways in which age- and culturally-appropriate warning and notification systems, evacuation protocols, and coordinating services for at-risk individuals are developed and disseminated in multiple platforms and multilingual, multicultural formats.
  • Compare messaging approaches that can differ between jurisdictions and subpopulations

Access the course via TRAIN.

🔵🔵 The Lakeside Global Institute is a collegiate-style professional development training. The training both nurtures and supports individuals to grow in self-awareness while learning research-based information in many fields of study.  Trainings sponsored by The CHG Charitable Trust beginning January 2026 are now open for registration.  Learn more about the Intensive Courses and Workshops.

🔵🔵 You can access the Bucks County Community College’s Training Catalog here.

🔵🔵The Disaster Research Response (DR2) Program provides training, funding, and a Resource Portal of tools to empower human health research in response to disasters and public health emergencies.  Visit the DR2 Website.

🔵🔵 Crisis Relief and Recovery and Lutheran Disaster Response – Eastern Pennsylvania are partnering on a new initiative around Community Resiliency and CRR’s “Relief Hub” network.  The project is focused on equipping churches and community organizations to be able to protect themselves and support others through disaster and crisis.  It consists of Disaster Preparedness Workshops, CPR/First Aid training, and hands-on relief volunteer training in enjoyable and informative sessions.  Organizations and churches can pick and choose from available training options depending on their needs and desires to learn about and contribute to disaster relief and join a growing network of self-supporting churches.  Link to leaflet.