Training

FAR volunteers are expected to participate as a team in an annual field-training exercise and/or individual training in skills such as HAZMAT (hazardous materials) Awareness, Blood-Borne Pathogens, Incident Command System (ICS-200, the national emergency disaster plan), and Chain of Custody. This training may be performed on-line or at special classes provided by the State Emergency Management Agency (EMA) or in other ways. Special safety and investigative skills such as CPR, Public Safety Diver training, and Forensic Anthropology are encouraged but are not required. Volunteers are expected to familiarize themselves with the current FAR Protocol.

We assume that volunteers will already have good skills in field archaeology or in safety-related areas like field medicine. The training described here is in addition to those skills. This extra level of training is necessary for forensic activities, general site safety, and effective cooperation with law-enforcement and emergency-services agencies at the disaster scene. Volunteer safety is the first priority during any field deployment, and each volunteer is expected to watch over the others and to call attention to any perceived hazards while on site. Whenever possible, FAR volunteers train together with police detectives, firefighters, and other emergency-services workers with the expectation that they will also deploy together during an actual disaster.