Time Sensitive 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!

🔵🔵The National Weather Service (NWS) Cleveland invites you to attend a virtual Extreme Heat Conference on Monday, May 11, 2026, from 9 am to 2 pm ET. The agenda features a morning presentation block from 9 am – 11:30 am, followed by a lunch break from 11:30 am -12 pm.  An interactive Tabletop Exercise will take place from 12 pm – 2 pm. When registering, please let us know if you intend to stay for the Tabletop Exercise so we can manage virtual logistics.  The target audience is Healthcare Emergency Management staff, County Emergency Managers & Staff Members, Public Health representatives, Fire/EMS, and VOADs. The Extreme Heat Conference will provide insight into NWS Extreme Heat Updates, how we deliver our message, and how we can collaborate across agencies.  Click Here to Register!

🔵🔵 The National Health Care for the Homeless Council will present the webinar: “Community Conversation: Innovative Approaches for Mental Health Care and Homelessness,” on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, at 12 PM ET.  Register.

🔵🔵 Crisis Relief and Recovery is offering several training opportunities near State College, PA in 2026, including community preparedness workshops, introductory disaster relief volunteer training, and a four-day Immediate Relief Team training for those interested in serving during disasters.  You can learn more here.  CRR can also hold disaster preparedness workshops at your location for low-cost or no-cost. You might be interested in this course: Immediate Relief Team Training: May 14-17, July 16-19, $269, includes food, STOP THE BLEED qualification, basic accommodations, and $75+ worth of gear.

🔵🔵AWR 302: Pipeline Security for Rural Communities will be presented at the Wayne County EMA, 43 Volunteer Drive, Honesdale, PA 18431, on Thursday, May 14, 2026, from 8 AM to 5 PM ET.  The purpose of this awareness-level, instructor-led course is to bring together rural pipeline security stakeholders and other community stakeholders to recognize pipeline security threats and identify mitigation strategies within their jurisdictions to ensure that the rural pipeline sector is secure and resilient.  Register by April 30, 2026 at this link.  FEMA S.I.D. REQUIRED. Register for your FEMA Student Identification Number by visiting https://cdp.dhs.gov/femasid.

🔵🔵 The United Church of Christ Emotional and Spiritual Care Team will present the webinar: Emotional and Spiritual Care Resources Post Disasters, on Thursday, May 14, 2026, at 3:30 PM ET.  They will discuss how this team can support clergy, chaplains and other spiritual caregivers post-disasters.  Register.

🔵🔵 The Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania will host a Lunch & Learn Webinar: Act 129 Update and Next Steps for Pennsylvania Households, on Friday, May 15, 2026, from 11:30 am-12:30 pm ET.  The Energy Efficiency and Conservation (EE&C) programming begins on June 1, 2026.  This webinar will focus on how advocates, housing providers, and community stakeholders can stay engaged, help connect households to available benefits, and continue pushing for strong implementation that reduces energy burden for Pennsylvania families.  Register.

🔵🔵AWR 232: Mass Fatalities Planning and Response for Rural Communities, is an 8-hour, DHS/FEMA-certified, tuition-free, awareness-level course. The goal of this course is to teach participants the basics of mass fatality response while providing opportunities to exchange rural perceptions and brainstorm solutions to simulated emergencies.  Responding to a mass fatality incident, which includes the recovery, identifications, and reunification of the deceased, is one of the most difficult aspects of disaster response. In times of crisis, small, rural, and tribal communities are often ill-equipped with facilities to manage large numbers of casualties. When the time comes, communities must be prepared to use available resources to properly manage the remains that will result. Regardless of the agencies or organizations that respond, whether they be governmental agencies or private or non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the responsibility to coordinate and manage these outside resources rests with local authorities.  The course will be held Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at the Luzerne County EMA, 185 Water Street, Wilkes Barre, PA  18702, from 8 AM t0 4 PM ET.  FEMA S.I.D. REQUIRED. Register for your FEMA Student Identification Number by visiting https://cdp.dhs.gov/femasid.  Register for the course.

🔵🔵The NEPRCT Task Force will present “MGT 383: Emergency Operations Plans for Rural Jurisdictions” at the Wayne County Emergency Management, 43 Volunteer Drive, Honesdale, PA  18431, on Thursday, May 21, 2026, from 8 AM – 4 PM.  MGT 383 is a DHS/FEMA-certified, tuition-free, management and planning level, instructor-led course designed to provide emergency managers and rural first responders with the knowledge and skills to develop an Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) for their respective jurisdictions. This course provides practical knowledge about the planning process, different types of EOP formats, and the components of each. Participants engage in scenarios designed to reinforce lessons learned, enable them to determine the best format for their jurisdictions, and to organize the various planning components into an EOP.  Register by COB on May 6, 2026.  FEMA S.I.D. REQUIRED.  Register for your FEMA Student Identification Number.         

🔵🔵 The American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN) will present their next Non-Profit Logistics Forum on Thursday, May 28, 2026, at 4:00 pm ET: Preparing for the 2026 Hurricane Season.  As we move closer to Hurricane Season, this month’s forum will share an overview of NOAA’s seasonal outlook and an update on the state of transportation.  Register here. 

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

🔵🔵Lehigh County will sponsor Dr. Nicole Sawyer’s presentation, “From Caves to Cocklofts,” on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, at the Lehigh Carbon Community College, Community Services Center (Ballrooms) 4525 Education Park Dr., Schnecksville PA 18078.  There will be 2 identical sessions – 1 – 2:30 PM and 6 – 7:30 PM ET.  Dr. Sawyer will discuss how our bodies and minds struggle to stay well as we face the demands of work in public safety.  Learn how to begin to hold ourselves accountable for our own psychological health and build understanding and skills to support the next generation.  Register.

Recorded Training Opportunities and Catalogs

🔵🔵The National Disaster and Emergency Management University (NDEMU) is accepting registrations for training courses this quarter at NETC in Emmitsburg, Maryland.  You can view the complete first quarter offerings here.  For more information:

🔵🔵The Salvation Army has recently launched new 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 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.

🔵🔵 The FEMA National Training Center has posted a schedule of its available trainings in the coming months.  You can access it here. 

🔵🔵 PEMA is providing the in-person course L-105 Public Information Basics (BPIO) at various sites throughout 2026.  Click this link to learn more on Train PA!  Prerequisites: IS-29 Public Information Officer Awareness   Click here is see the listing of sites and other information.

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

🔵🔵  You can view the Lehigh County Emergency Services training schedule 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.