Course Description
This course is designed for all Federal, State/Territory, tribal, regional, and local emergency response professionals and support personnel who have an emergency communications background. It is designed to familiarize them with the role and responsibilities of a COML under the National Incident Management System Incident Command System (NIMS ICS). CISA and the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Emergency Management Institute have integrated the COML curriculum to jointly offer a standardized All Hazards COML course.
This course provides DHS-approved and NIMS-compliant instruction with a goal of ensuring Federal agencies and State/Territory organizations have trained personnel capable of coordinating on-scene emergency communications during a multi-jurisdictional response or a planned event. CISA instructors are approved by DHS and have extensive experience both as emergency responders and as COMLs. Instructors work through the discussions and activities to explain the processes used to achieve communication operability, interoperability, and how to incorporate additional communications solutions. This course is four (4) days long and is limited to 30 students.
Prerequisites for Attendance
Prerequisites must be verified two weeks in advance of an in-person course or 30 days in advance of a virtual course).
Personal experience
- A public safety background with experience in field operations
- A technical communications background
- Awareness of fundamental public safety communications technology
- Basic knowledge of applicable communications plans
Completion of the following online courses from the FEMA/EMI website:
IS-100: Introduction to the Incident Command System, ICS 100
IS-200: Basic Incident Command System for Initial Response
IS-700: An Introduction to the National Incident Management System
IS-800: National Response Framework, An Introduction
ICS
Completion of ICS-300: Intermediate Incident Command System for Expanding Incidents
Additional recommended (not required) training
- ICS-400: Advanced Incident Command System for Complex Incidents