Illinois Professional Development Series (PDS)

Individuals enter the emergency management field with a variety of backgrounds and training which are often unrelated to the wide range of responsibilities to be fulfilled by today's emergency management personnel. Thus, seven courses, the Professional Development Series (PDS), presenting a variety of subjects pertinent to the emergency management field, are offered to supplement and complement the knowledge and skills of new personnel. The seven courses are:

• Decision Making and Problem Solving*
• Developing Volunteer Resources
• Effective Communication
• Emergency Planning
• Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation program (HSEEP)**
• Principles of Emergency Management
• Leadership and Influence

* Decision Making in a Crisis may be substituted
** Exercise Design may be substituted thru August, 2008

These course may be taken in any order over an unspecified time. Persons completing the on-line courses thru the FEMA Independent Study Program will be awarded a FEMA Certificate of Achievement. This certificate will be signed by the Superintendent of FEMA's Emergency Management Institute. Persons completing both the online and classroom portion will be awarded the Illinois Professional Development Series Certificate. This certificate, signed by the Governor of Illinois and the IEMA Director, will be awarded at the annual IEMA Conference.

The projected schedule of PDS courses, 2004-2009, is listed below. The schedule includes the year and IEMA region where each course will be offered. This will ensure that individuals have the opportunity to attend those courses close to their jurisdiction and project a long term plan to complete the series.

If you want to learn more about the Training Program or are interested in attending a specific course, please contact the IEMA Regional Coordinator serving your county. Registration must be made in advance to attend any course. An application can be obtained from the IEMA Regional Coordinator or by downloading in pdf format.