Aurora Safety Services

Education and Training…. THEY ARE Complimentary!

Michael J. Fagel, PhD., CEM
Adjunct Faculty, University of Chicago,
Master of Science in Threat and Response Management Program
Graham School of General Studies

In our ever changing and evolving role in the emergency preparedness field, the words “Education” and “Training” often come up.

The emergency manager has evolved in the last decade, and matured even more so since 9-11.

It is our job to provide education to our elected and appointed officials, our citizens, and our fellow employees in WHY we need to improve their understanding of just what Emergency Management mean to them does.

After they garner a better EDUCATION, can we then begin effective training?

I recall when I was deployed to the World Trade Center Ground Zero in 2001; we were in dire need of helping to provide a safer environment for the workers on site. We also had to “Train” them in the proper use of personal Protective Equipment (PPE) while on site.

We did provide “training:  en mass to the thousands of workers on how to use respirators, eye and head protection.

After a few days, we saw masks and safety glasses tossed aside and thrown away…… not used.

We then had to embark on anew task of EDUCATING the people we were so desperately trying to protect as to WHY we were giving them equipment and TRAINING.

I dare say, in my over 30 years of field experiences, that the “Training and Education” evolution on site was under less than ideal circumstances.

We need you to take these first steps in the maturation of YOUR programs to help your customers (the people we serve) that training is but one component of an effective overall educational process.

It IS a process.

We are constantly EDUCATING newly elected or appointed officials in what we know as Emergency management, Threat Risk, Mitigation and a myriad of other topics.

We know what we NEED them to know and understand that it is a PROCESS of CONTINUOUS Improvement. A process has no beginning or end, but a series of steps or actions that is meant to continuously improve what we are trying to accomplish.

Think of the two terms as YOU develop your programs as well.

I have been an instructor at FEMA’s Emergency management Institute as well as at numerous Colleges and Universities over my career.

Much like we often times hear that responsibly and accountability are interchanged, let’s take that first step to helping to understand that there ARE Differences between Education and Training, BUT, that there are synergies when used effectively.

It seems that every two to four years we must “RE Educate” our elected and appointed officials about what we do in Emergency Management and planning. Also, as we get new department heads and managers in our operations, we must also educate them that are okay; it allows us time to help hone our message to those that need our assistance.  After we have educated them as to what the terms like- PLANNING, MITIGATION- RESPONSE- RECOVERY all mean, we can then provide them table top training sessions to help them fully comprehend in TRAINING environment what we will need their help on.

One thing that is CRITICALLY important, and that is to always provide opportunities to help EDUCATE your people that need our help. After EDUCATION, we can then embark on TRAINING, but it is a complimentary process that we should embrace.

About Mike

Michael J. Fagel, PhD is a Certified Emergency Manager. He was the Region 5 Chairman of IAEM, as well as Vice Chair of the CEM Commission. He has been a member of ASIS for over 25 years, and has been a presenter at the ASIS annual conference.
He has been engaged in public safety work since 1975, in the community and worldwide. He was a responder for FEMA before it transitioned into DHS in 2003, and is an instructor for DHS on a national basis, as well as at the University of Chicago, Benedictine University, Eastern Kentucky University and LSU. He is part of the Critical Infrastructure- Key Resource team at Argonne National Laboratory. The views expressed herein are those of the author alone, and do not reflect the views of any federal, state or local agency or institution. Fagel can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it