AuxComm Training

NCEM REQUIRED TRAINING

The NCEM has mandated certain training for all AuxComm personnel within the state. This training consists of the following:

1. ICS Courses: IS-100, IS-200, IS-700 and IS-800. All courses must be the most current course for continued qualification. These are on-line self-paced courses. (See FEMA Courses below for more information.)

2. Operational Security (OPSEC): This is a NEW (soon to be) requirement. The course is on-line self-paced and takes about 45 minutes to compete. (See OPSEC Training below.)

FORSYTH COUNTY AUXCOMM TRAINING

1. BASIC E-COMM 101: Required for all AuxComm personnel who will be assigned to operate in the county EOC, Command Post or deployed elsewhere within the state. (See BASIC E-COMM 101 below for more information)

2. EOC-NCS: Required for all AuxComm personnel who will be assigned as Communications Team Leads for any deployment. Prerequisites: Basic E-Comm 101, IS-100, IS-200, IS-700 and IS-800. (See EOC-NCS below for more information.)

3. SKYWARN: Required for all AuxComm personnel. (See SKYWARN below for more information.)

4. WebEOC: This course is required and available only for those personnel who will be serving as Communications Team Leads. (See WebEOC Training below for more information.)

NORTH CAROLINA TRAINING EXERCISE RESPONSE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (NCTERMS)

Various course available to AuxComm members, like ICS-300, are listed in and can be registered for in NCTERMS. The NCTERMS link is:

https://terms.ncem.org/TRS/.

and will take you to the front page where you can register and look at the courses that are available. Most courses will be available to AuxComm personnel however some are restricted.

FEMA ICS ON-LINE COURSES

FEMA has hundreds of emergency preparedness and response related courses all FREE and on-line. Taking them will increase your knowledge and your abilities for AuxComm activations.

OPERATIONS SECURITY (OPSEC) TRAINING

It is anticipated that the NCEM will soon mandate Operations Security (OPSEC) training. Due to the sensitive nature of operations and information that is generated during emergency/disaster operations as well as planned public service events, having AuxComm personnel familiar with OPSEC awareness and procedures just makes good sense. Additionally this same training can be applied in your everyday life when it comes to your computer activities and others. The training is free and provided on-line by the Center for Development of Security Excellence, Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency and will be the platform used for this training. The course takes between 30-45 minutes to complete. Forsyth County AuxComm personnel are encouraged to complete this training at their earliest convenience. This course may be accessed at the link below:

https://securityawareness.usalearning.gov/opsec/index.htm.

NOTE: The course supports Chrome and Edge. Other browser platforms may encounter issues within the course and particularly when printing the completion certificate at the end. It is recommended that everyone do a screen capture shot of the "successful completion" page BEFORE printing your certificate. In the event that you have issues printing your certificate, this screen shot will suffice as proof of completion.

NCEM and FORSYTH COUNTY REQUIREMENTS

NCEM requires that ALL personnel involved in any aspect of emergency or disaster response (including AuxComm) maintain the basic four ICS courses at the most current level. Therefore if you took ICS 100, 200, 700 or 800 years ago (before 2018) and your certificate does not show the most current alpha designation as shown below, you need to retake the course. The courses are quick and easy to take on-line.

ALL Forsyth AuxComm personnel are therefore required to have completed these courses and maintain them to the most current revision. If we do not have sufficient qualified members then we will not be able to effectively serve our community in times of emergency / disaster or public service events.

THE MOST CURRENT ICS COURSES ARE:

ICS-100c
ICS-200c
ICS-700b
ICS-800d

Note: These courses are designated as IS-100, IS-200, IS-700 and IS-800 in the FEMA Independent Study on-line catalog.
Once you have completed the course, please forward notification of successful completion to AuxComm at w4nc dot com. You do NOT have to forward your certificates, however a copy of your NC TERMS transcript that shows completion of the courses is requested.

FEMA IS Course are available at:

https://training.fema.gov/is/crslist.aspx.

BASIC E-COMM 101 AND EOC NCS COURSES

Basic EMCOMM 101 and Emergency Operations Center/Net Control Station EOC/NCS are currently offered virtually on an as needed basis. Minimum number of students is 6 per class. Notify any AuxComm staff member that you need the course and once we have 6 needing it, one will be set up. You do not have to register in NC TERMS for this training.

NOTE: NC AuxComm and NC EM have mandated that we provide them with 2 weeks prior notice for training events such as these courses as well as certain other activities. It is anticipated that we will be asked to open these courses for other amateurs within the state to participate in. Should that occur, NCTERMS registration may then become required.

Course Date: To Be Determined

Course Location: To Be Determined

Course Times: 0800-1700

SKYWARN

To obtain critical weather information, the National Weather Service (NWS) established SKYWARN® with partner organizations. SKYWARN® is a volunteer program with between 350,000 and 400,000 trained severe weather spotters. These volunteers help keep their local communities safe by providing timely and accurate reports of severe weather to the National Weather Service.

ALL Forsyth County AuxComm personnel are required to take this training bi-annually and you may take it on-line at:

https://www.meted.ucar.edu/training_course.php?id=23/.

Spotter certification is good for 2 years; at the end of 2 years, you will need to renew your certification.

For more details about these classes, please visit:

https://www.weather.gov/rah/skywarn.

WebEOC – Forsyth County EM

This course is required for all Forsyth County AuxComm personnel who will serve as Communications Team Leads within the EOC, Command Posts or other locations requiring a Communications Team. The course is a 4-hour (virtual or in-person) course conducted by Forsyth County Emergency Management on an as needed basis. Courses are typically offered M-F between 0900-1700. Registration in NCTERMS is required and completion of the basic ICS course is highly recommended prior to the courses. Check NCTERMS for dates and times of offered courses. Approval by the Forsyth County AuxComm Coordinator is required.

Course Name: FOR-WEBEOC-JIT

Course Date: May 4, 2021

Course Location: Virtual

Course Times: 0900-1130

More information is available at:

https://terms.ncem.org/TRS/courseDesc.do?sourcePage=courseSearch&cofId=132244.

ICS-300 INTERMEDIATE ICS FOR EXPANDING INCIDENTS – (OPTIONAL)

This course is recommended by the Winston Salem/Forsyth County Emergency Management for those AuxComm personnel who will be acting in a Communications Team Lead position. The course is a currently being offered virtually and is normally scheduled for a five day period (M-F 0830-1300) and is provided locally by Emergency Management several times annually. Personnel desiring to take this course must register for it via NCTERMS at:

https://terms.ncem.org/TRS/.

Course Prerequisites: Must have completed the most current (alpha version) of ICS-100, ICS-200, ICS-700, and ICS-800. Once in-person classes can resume, the course will be offered as an all day, 3-day course.

Course Date: To Be Determined (Check NCTERMS)

Course Location: Check NCTERMS

Course Times: Check NCTERMS

More information is available at:

https://terms.ncem.org/TRS/.