Two directors closely involved in the emergency preparedness and disaster response of Door County Memorial Hospital recently completed training that will greatly benefit the hospital and the residents of Door County. Steve Schwenke and Bill Hartman attended Homeland Security training at the Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP), in Anniston, Ala. The CDP is operated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Management Agency and is the only federally chartered Weapons of Mass Destruction training facility in the nation.

Both members were selected by the CDP for the specialized training because of their background in emergency management within a health-care environment and their familiarity with the incalculable effects that a natural disaster or a weapon of mass destruction can bring to a population within Door County.

The CDP provides federally funded, interdisciplinary training for emergency responders from across the United States and U.S. Territories, for members of ten responder disciplines: Emergency Management, Emergency Medical Service, Fire Service, Governmental Administration, Hazardous Materials, Health-care, Law Enforcement, Public Health, Public Safety Communications and Public Works.

Health-care and Public Health training is conducted at the CDP's Nobel Training Facility, the nation's only hospital facility dedicated to training hospital and health-care professionals in disaster preparedness and response.

Many training courses culminate at the CDP's Chemical, Ordinance, Biological and Radiological Training Facility, the nation's only facility featuring civilian training exercises in a true toxic environment, using chemical agents. The advanced hands-on training enables responders to effectively prevent, respond to, and recover from real-world incidents involving acts of terrorism and other hazardous materials.

Training at the CDP ensures that responders gain critical skills and confidence to be better prepared to effectively respond to local incidents or potential Weapons of Mass Destruction incidents.