Training

Crisis events expose staff to demands that are suddenly occurring and often beyond the normal experience of most individuals. Differences between normal and crisis events (such as uncertainty, [Page 934]coordination problems, and infrastructure losses) renders routine training, experience, and operational practices less applicable as a foundation for effective crisis response. Consequently, crises require people to apply their normal skills in atypical circumstances (such as search and rescue in disaster contexts) and/or create a need for new work competencies, relationships, and procedures to deal with novel circumstances (such as multidisciplinary teamwork). Training is tasked with adapting existing competencies; developing the unique knowledge, skills, and relationships required for effective crisis response; and providing experience in applying these competencies in unfamiliar circumstances in ways that increase people's capacity to respond to crises.

The process commences with training needs analysis (TNA). Crisis TNA includes expert reviews and techniques such as critical incident and decision methods, goal directed task/information analysis, theater-based interagency training, applied cognitive task analysis, means end chain analysis, and goal hierarchy analysis. These analytical techniques identify the demands and operating environment characteristics staff may have to contend with. Once these demands are identified, TNA articulates the response roles, competencies, knowledge, procedures, and relationships required to effectively confront them. The analysis of contexts and the competencies required for effective functioning provide a foundation for the design, development, delivery, and evaluation of the training content, exercises, and simulations that will be used to develop the capacity of staff to adapt existing competencies and/or apply crisis-specific competencies in scenarios that are comparable to those that could occur in crisis events.

Training needs analysis will identify all the events organizations could experience (for example, transportation accidents, workplace accidents, assaults, homicide, suicide or attempted suicide, armed robbery, hostage taking, and natural disasters, such as floods or earthquakes) or environmental events (such as gas leaks and toxic waste spills, industrial disputes, and acts of terrorism) to ensure that training supports developing an “all-hazards” capability. Training needs analysis also articulates the crisis event characteristics staff must prepare for. These include responding to events that occur without warning and that require a capacity to transition to (and from) crisis management procedures promptly. Training develops people's ability to function in conditions characterized by uncertainty, ambiguity, and personal threat under high physical and time pressures, and possibly under conditions of media and public scrutiny. Training facilitates people's appreciation of the need to take on higher than usual or expected responsibility and how resource constraints limit opportunities for effective action. Training prepares staff for working in a crisis environment in which they will experience higher than usual physical, mental, and emotional demands and psychological stress (possibility over prolonged periods of time). To these factors can be added a need to interact effectively with people from departments or professions staff would not normally work with. To prepare people for all such eventualities, a holistic approach to training is essential. This can be accomplished using an assessment and development center approach.