CDLS® is an introduction to “all-hazards” preparedness for first responders, community officials, business owners, and other concerned citizens. The course provides a brief overview of natural and accidental man made events, traumatic and explosive events, nuclear and radiologic events, biological events, and chemical events. The focus of the course is to discuss and apply a unique approach to disaster management called the D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R paradigm. The overarching aim is to introduce participants to basic concepts and terms that are reinforced in greater detail in the BDLS® and ADLS® courses.
Target audience:
- EMTs
- Allied health workers and technicians
- Law enforcement
- Medical Reserve Corps (entry level)
- Some office-based health care professionals
- Police
- Firefighters
- Emergency management personnel
- Government officials
- Health care administrators
- Social workers
- Disaster relief workers
- Anyone needing an introductory program
Pre-requisites: None
Course length: 4 hours
Course credits: 3.5 AMA PRA Category 1 credits™
Recertification: N/A
Interested in signing up for a National Disaster Life Support™ (NDLS™) course? click here.
BDLS® is targeted to multiple disciplines including emergency medical service (EMS) personnel, hazardous materials personnel, public health personnel, and health care providers. The goal of teaching multiple disciplines simultaneously is to develop a commonality of approach and language in the health care community, improving the care and coordination of response in Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD) disasters and public health emergencies. The BDLS® course is a review of the all-hazards topics including natural and accidental man made events, traumatic and explosive events, nuclear and radiological events, biological events, and chemical events. Also included is information on the health care professional’s role in the public health and incident management systems, community mental health, and special needs of underserved and vulnerable populations.
The recognition and management of the disaster scene and victims are reinforced through a unique approach, introduced in the Core Disaster Life Support Course, called the D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R paradigm. The D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R paradigm organizes the students’ preparation and response to disaster management. It emphasizes an all-hazards approach to mass casualty incident management and facilitates ongoing qualitative and quantitative assessment of an incident.
Target audience:
- Physicians
- Registered or Licensed Practical Nurses
- Paramedics
- EMTs
- Physician Assistants
- Allied health professionals
- Dentists
- Pharmacists
- Public health professionals
- Veterinarians
- Health professions students
- Mental health professionals
Pre-requisites: None
Course length: 8 hours
Course credits:
- 7.5 American Medical Association PRA Category 1 Credits™
- 7.0 National Registry or Colorado State EMT CE hours
- 7.5 Nursing CEUs
Recertification: Every three years
Interested in signing up for a National Disaster Life Support™ (NDLS™) course? click here.
ADLS® is an advanced practicum course for the trained BDLS® provider. It is an intensive, 2-day course that allows students to demonstrate competencies in casualty decontamination, specified essential skills, and mass casualty incident information systems/technology applications. Using simulated, all-hazards scenarios and mass causality incidents, ADLS® makes use of four interactive sessions in which participants treat simulated patients in various disaster drills and situations. Training is focused on the development of hands-on skills to allow participants to apply the knowledge learned in BDLS®.
ADLS®’s interactive scenarios and drills utilize high-fidelity mannequins and volunteer patients to simulate a realistic experience in treating pathologic patient conditions not routinely encountered by the responders and health care providers. Hands-on exercises teach practical skills, such as decontamination and use of protective equipment, and provide instruction in topics that traditionally are not addressed in health care education curricula.
Day 2 of ADLS® is the "hands on" day of training. Four skills stations reinforce the previous day’s learning. These skills stations are as follows:
- MASS Triage™ - This challenging station allows the students to practice the concepts of the disaster paradigm with an emphasis on patient triage. Simulated disaster victims must be triaged and treated correctly while attempting to manage a chaotic scene and request appropriate resources.
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and Decontamination - This station teaches important concepts about the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and decontamination technique. Students are given the opportunity to wear PPE and participate in a simulated decontamination while attempting to render medical care.
- Disaster Skills - This station teaches information about vital skills necessary for medical disaster management. Students are taught about the Strategic National Stockpile and proper Mark-I kit use. Students are also allowed to practice Small pox immunization.
- Human Patient Simulator - Recognition of victims of a chemical and biological disaster is paramount. This station is designed to reinforce the detection and proper treatment of conditions that may occur during disasters that we do not normally treat. Treatment of chemical, biological, and traumatic patients is covered. The use of high fidelity human patient simulators allows the student to see, hear, and feel information that would normally be provided by an instructor, creating a more realistic experience than standard mannequins can provide.
Target Audience:
- Physicians
- Nurses
- PAs
- EMTs
- Paramedics
- Pharmacists
- Allied health professionals
- Medical students
Pre-requisites: BDLS®
Course length: 16 hours
Course credits:
- 15.5 American Medical Association PRA Category 1 Credits™
- 15.5 National Registry or Colorado State EMT CE hours
- 15.5 Nursing CEUs
Recertification: Every three years
Interested in signing up for a National Disaster Life Support™ (NDLS™) course? click here.
The ADLS Instructor course is provided for those students of ADLS® who desire to become instructors. The half-day course includes instruction in coordinating and conducting the four rotation stations of ADLS®. These stations are:
- MASS Triage™
- Human Patient Simulations
- PPE and Decontamination
- Disaster Skills
Each station requires unique equipment and supplies and poses logistical challenges. Instructions are provided regarding how to setup the scenarios and how the mock victims are used in support of the course. The requirement for victim moulaged is also detailed to include presenting symptoms and circumstances. The minimum facility requirement for each module is specified.
Target audience: Any ADLS® student desiring to become an instructor
Pre-requisites: BDLS® and ADLS®
Course length: 4 hours
Course credits: N/A
Recertification: Every three years
Interested in signing up for a National Disaster Life Support™ (NDLS™) course? click here.
The ability to decontaminate a large number of victims from a chemical, biological, or radiological event will require large numbers of personnel properly trained and equipped to provide decontamination. Although healthcare providers in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) will be needed to render immediate care and triage victims, the majority of the workforce to provide decontamination in a disaster of this nature should be non-clinical, hospital based personnel.
NDLS-DECON™ is designed to meet this need by providing introductory training for hospital based decontamination. NDLS-DECON™ provides flexibility permitting training to be customized to specific equipment and site features.
The components of the NDLS-DECON™ program include:
- Lectures covering:
- Regulations, operations and equipment
- Demonstration and practice:
- Donning/Doffing PPE
- Site selection and set-up
- Patient decontamination
- Small Group Interactive Sessions
- Decontamination Drill
Target audience:
- Hospital Based Decontamination Team members
- Non-clinical Hospital Personnel
- Physicians
- Nurses
- PAs
- EMTs /Paramedics
- Allied health professionals
- Students in health care studies
- Emergency Managers
- Hospital Safety/Security Personnel/Law Enforcement Officers
- First Responders & Fire Fighters
Pre-requisites: None
Course Length: 12 hours
Course Credits: TBD
Recertification: TBD
Interested in signing up for a National Disaster Life Support™ (NDLS™) course? click here.