Federal training resources are listed below to provide foundational and supplemental training for your SMEM team and for stakeholders in your program. The links are subject to change by the agency, so we provide the site address as well as a description of the course.

Federal Emergency Management Agency

Emergency Management Institute, Emmetsburg, Maryland

• Website: https://training.fema.gov/emi.aspx
• Provides on-site and online courses and virtual tabletop exercises.
• Additionally, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provides training in the joint information system, which is supported through a joint information center (G291/E-L0387 – Joint Information System/Joint Information Center Planning). This training has proven to be essential for social media (SM) and emergency management (EM) personnel who will participate in a multi-stakeholder response effort. https://training.fema.gov/programs/pio/g291.aspx

Independent Study

• Website: https://training.fema.gov/is/
• The Emergency Management Institute offers self-paced courses designed for people who have EM responsibilities and the general public. All are offered free of charge to those who qualify for enrollment. The program offers a specific course (IS-42) on SM in EM.

FEMA Center for Domestic Preparedness, All Hazards Training Center, Anniston, Alabama

• Website: https://cdp.dhs.gov/
• Provides on-site residence courses and online courses.
• FEMA provides extensive training materials for assisting EM personnel in every aspect of training other members of the airport community. It is worth noting that FEMA provides extensive assistance in the Incident Command System (ICS), which is updated to reflect incorporation of SM into ICS. https://training.fema.gov/emiweb/is/icsresource/index.htm

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

• Website: https://www.cdc.gov/cpr/training.htm
• Provides online training and the capability to subscribe to virtual seminars/training provided throughout the year.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have a dedicated SM page with links to many other resources. https://www.cdc.gov/socialmedia/index.html

National Transportation Safety Board 

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Training Center, Virginia campus of The George Washington University in Ashburn, Virginia, provides on-site courses.

• Website: https://www.ntsb.gov/Training_Center/Pages/TrainingCenter.aspx

Homeland Security Digital Library 

• Website: https://www.hsdl.org/c/
• Provides the nation’s premier collection of documents related to homeland security policy, strategy, and organizational management. The Homeland Security Digital Library (HSDL) is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s National Preparedness Directorate, FEMA, and the Naval Postgraduate School Center for Homeland Defense and Security.