FEMA Independent Study Courses

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) offers free disaster preparedness and emergency management classes, many of which are held online and may only take a few hours to complete. We encourage volunteers with UAN's Emergency Animal Rescue Service (EARS) to take advantage of these free courses, especially for those considering joining the EARS Volunteer Leadership team.

EARS volunteer training workshop participants are asked to complete IS-100.a: Introduction to Incident Command System to prepare for the workshop.

You can find more information about these courses and online registration by visiting FEMA's Emergency Management Institute Web site.

NIMS Compliance

The Department of Homeland Security requires all agencies to be compliant with the National Incident Management System (NIMS). NIMS sets national standards for major emergency incident operations -- in areas like communications, resource management and technology -- so that during disaster responses, agencies from different jurisdictions and disciplines can “speak the same language” and work together effectively.

Some jurisdictions will require NIMS certification of all responding volunteers. When this happens, UAN will only be able to deploy EARS volunteers who have completed the four NIMS compliance classes indicated below.

See below for courses that are recommended and required for EARS volunteers and EARS volunteer leaders.

NIMS Compliance Requirements	All EARS Leaders	EARS Volunteers
IS-100.a: Introduction to Incident Command System	Required	Required
IS-200.a: ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents	Required	Strongly recommended
IS-700.a: National Incident Management System (NIMS), An Introduction	Required	Strongly recommended
IS-800.b: National Response Framework, An Introduction	Required	Strongly recommended

Additional FEMA Classes	All EARS Leaders	EARS Volunteers
IS-1: Emergency Manager: An Orientation to the Position	Strongly recommended	Recommended
IS-5.a: An Introduction to Hazardous Materials	Required	Recommended
IS-10: Animals in Disaster, Module A: Awareness and Preparedness	Required	Recommended
IS-11: Animals in Disaster, Module B: Community Planning	Strongly recommended	Recommended
IS-111: Livestock in Disasters	Strongly recommended	Recommended
IS-244: Developing and Managing Volunteers	Required	Recommended

Canadian Volunteers

EARS volunteers who reside in Canada are still encouraged to take the FEMA courses, but FEMA will not mail a certificate of completion. The Justice Institute of British Columbia offers some courses in Incident Command and Emergency Management delivered online and in face-to-face formats. The JIBC issues certificates upon successful completion of these courses.