SAFE Team member Rachel Fann recently had the opportunity to complete several free FEMA emergency response trainings through The National Disaster and Emergency Management University (NDEMU). The biggest takeaway wasn’t specific tactics or tools, but something more foundational: a clear understanding of how emergency management is structured, how incidents are organized, and the shared language used across agencies at the local, state, and federal levels.
“I feel like I have a better understanding of the language, processes, and systems that all of the organizations we need to work with operate under. That understanding will be really helpful when trying to build relationships with anyone involved in emergency management at any level.”
For those of us working at the intersection of infant feeding, public health, and emergency response, this kind of systems literacy matters. Even when the content doesn’t directly address infant feeding, it helps us understand what emergency managers have been trained on, what assumptions they may be operating under, and how decisions are made during incidents. Having this foundation is critical for effective, efficient communication across organizations that we may need to work with in emergency response – both in the field during active response, as well as in emergency planning and preparedness work during blue sky times.
For those of us working on advocacy and policy integration, both speaking and understanding the language of emergency response allows us a level of credibility as we engage with policy makers at all levels.
Why This Matters for SAFE Feeding
Understanding emergency management frameworks helps us:
- Communicate more effectively with emergency planners and responders
- Translate infant feeding needs into language that fits existing systems
- Identify gaps between policy, planning, and lived realities for families
- Strengthen advocacy at the state and federal level
If you’re interested in building your own background knowledge, these FEMA courses are a practical way to get grounded in the systems we engage with daily.
What the Courses Are & Where to Take Them
These FEMA Independent Study (IS) courses are free, self-paced, and open to the public through FEMA’s NDEMU training platform.
- IS-100.C: Introduction to the Incident Command System (ICS)
Learn the basics of ICS — the foundation for how disaster responses are structured across agencies.https://training.fema.gov/is/courseoverview.aspx?code=IS-100.c&lang=en
- IS-700.B: National Incident Management System (NIMS)
Understand the broader NIMS framework that enables coordination across government, NGOs, and private sector responders.https://training.fema.gov/is/courseoverview.aspx?code=IS-700.b&lang=en
- IS-366.A: Planning for the Needs of Children in Disasters
Dive into how emergency planners are expected to consider children — a useful lens for infant feeding advocates.https://training.fema.gov/is/courseoverview.aspx?code=IS-366.a&lang=en
You can see these courses (and many more) listed on the official Independent Study course catalog.
Registration & Certificates — What You Need
You can view the trainings for free without registering by following the links above, however in order to receive a certificate of completion and credit for watching the courses, you must pass a multiple choice final exam with a score of 80% or better. In order to take the assessment and receive credit for the course, FEMA requires a FEMA Student Identification (SID) number — a free unique ID used for all FEMA training. In order to get your free SID follow the instructions below:
- Get your FEMA Student Identification here: https://cdp.dhs.gov/femasid
- Once you have your Student Identification Number, you can access the course content online, complete the modules, and submit your final exam directly on the NDEMU site
- Upon passing the exam, FEMA will issue you an official certificate that you can download immediately from the student portal or receive via email