CISM

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any wings out there that have any CISM Classes coming up this year?  preferablly on a weekend.  Can't make it to the ones at the National Conference.  Looks like nothing anytime soon in my wing.

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I'd say check the National CISM page.

[DNall]

Texas. 4 days in June:

http://captalk.net/index.php?topic=4894.0

http://www.lesa1.org/lesa/content/about.htm

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mm, sounds good but I was hoping for something on the weekends like most CISM classes.  don't want to miss too much time from work.  if it's on a weekend I only miss at most one day.

[John Bryan]

These are not CAP courses but ICISF list....

http://www.icisf.org/training/calendar.cfm

On a side note.....I wish National would add CISM to the NESA program.

[gistek]

You can also check into your local, county, and/or state EMS agencies. My squadron receives at least one notice of upcoming CISM training somewhere in our state each month.

ALSO,

I had the oppurtunity to talk with some CISM team members at a recent Mass Trauma excersize.

Over the last few years I've heard a lot of wishing that CAP members could do more than just be 'vicitms' at these, but I never heard any ideas as to what we could do other than fly observers.

While brainstorming with the CISM folks, we realized that CAP members, even cadets, can help them. For instance, a CAP cadet can guide a group of people from CISM to the Red Cross area to file the information to find theit other family members. CAP members can also help families with young children make sure everyone stays together. (Think of the mom who has several preschoolers to watch and is more than a bit in shock herself, or the home day-care folks with more than a few infants and toddlers.) Yes, it's 'baby-sitting' but our doing that means someone more highly trained will be able to take care of the more critical cases.

Most of the duties we'd perform for CISM are already in the MSA qual area, but I'd recommend that anyone who wants to work with CISM participate as a victim in a Mass Trauma training, and maybe take a baby-sitting or intro to CISM course.

It might also be beneficial to divide the MSA into three levels the way GTM has been divided.

MSA3 would be a very basic assistant level classification. Duties would include running errands, assisting administrative and record keeping personnel, and assisting with perimeter watch/gate keeping. It would also require a basic understanding of the Incident Command System.

MSA2 would be very much like the current MSA, including maintaining the flight board, escorting visitors, and supervising small perimeter watch/gate keeping teams.

MSA1 would add CISM assistant training – not full CISM counselor level, but an introduction to CISM and familiarization with the support that counselors might need. It would also add babysitter training, and would require participation as a victim in at least one mass trauma exercise. There should also be a minimum age requirement of 16 for this qualification.

[Hawk200]

It might also be beneficial to divide the MSA into three levels the way GTM has been divided.

MSA3 would be a very basic assistant level classification. Duties would include running errands, assisting administrative and record keeping personnel, and assisting with perimeter watch/gate keeping. It would also require a basic understanding of the Incident Command System.

MSA2 would be very much like the current MSA, including maintaining the flight board, escorting visitors, and supervising small perimeter watch/gate keeping teams.

MSA1 would add CISM assistant training – not full CISM counselor level, but an introduction to CISM and familiarization with the support that counselors might need. It would also add babysitter training, and would require participation as a victim in at least one mass trauma exercise. There should also be a minimum age requirement of 16 for this qualification.

Seems a lot to train an "assistant" for. Maybe a specific CISM support qualification might work. Most of the cadets I see doing MSA are younger and just learning about CAP in general. That would be a lot of qualification. Not to mention, someone would want a badge for it, and there really is no need.

[gistek]

Yeah, but I couldn't think of a three letter abbreviation for a CISM assistant that didn't also imply that the CAP member had full CISM training.

CAP members helping the CISM team don't need to have all the training, but should know enough to be able to direct or escort victims to the services they need.