Whether you’re new to public health preparedness or looking to refresh your skills, having a strong foundation in core preparedness concepts can help you build more effective programs, strengthen partnerships, and better prepare your community for emergencies and disasters.

Prep 101 is a collection of foundational trainings designed to help preparedness planners strengthen the knowledge and skills they use every day. From developing and evaluating preparedness plans to managing volunteers, communicating risk, leading during a crisis, and navigating administrative requirements, these sessions cover key areas of public health emergency preparedness.

Use these trainings as a starting point for building your preparedness toolkit, onboarding new team members, or refreshing your knowledge on essential preparedness practices.

Prep 101: Volunteer Management

Volunteers can be one of the most valuable resources available to a preparedness coordinator. They provide critical support during emergency response and recovery while also contributing to preparedness activities throughout the year. This interactive session explores how to effectively incorporate volunteers into your preparedness program and make the most of this important community resource.

Presenters:

• Jennifer Kraft, Medical Reserve Corps Program Manager, Kansas Dept of Health & Environment
• Jessica Pereira, Public Health Emergency Preparedness Manager, Sedgwick County Health Department

Watch the Volunteer Management Session

Prep 101: Risk Communications

Effective communication is essential before, during, and after an emergency. This session builds foundational risk communication skills, including the principles of risk communication and Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication (CERC). Participants will also explore how trust, credibility, transparency, misinformation, and rumor management influence how communities receive and respond to emergency information.

Presenter:

• Tara Kirk Sell, Associate Professor, Johns Hopkins University

Watch the Risk Communications Session

Prep 101: Protecting Our Communities: Disaster Epidemiology in Action

Disaster epidemiology connects public health data with emergency management action. This session explores how disaster epidemiology tools, surveillance systems, rapid needs assessments, and registries can inform preparedness and response at the local, state, tribal, and territorial levels. Through real-world case studies, participants will see how these tools can help identify health threats, support decision-making, and strengthen coordination with emergency management and public safety partners.

Presenters:

• Andrew Adams, Senior Program Analyst, Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE)
• Svetlana Smorodinsky, Disaster Epidemiologist, California Department of Public Health; CSTE Disaster Epidemiology Subcommittee Co-Chair
• Matthew Bursley, Manager, Response Planning Unit in the Chemical Planning and Response Section Environmental Health Bureau, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services

Watch the Disaster Epidemiology Session

Prep 101: Preparedness Plan Development & Evaluation 101

Strong preparedness plans provide a roadmap for effective response. This session introduces the fundamentals of developing, maintaining, and evaluating preparedness plans. Topics include different types of preparedness plans, planning cycles and updates, stakeholder engagement, and strategies for keeping plans current and useful.

Presenter:

• Jerry Joseph, Director of Preparedness, National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO)

Watch the Preparedness Plan Development & Evaluation Session

Prep 101: From Framework to Practice: Tailored ICS Training for Public Health Departments

Incident Command System (ICS) training is an important component of emergency preparedness, but traditional ICS courses do not always address the unique roles and operational structures of public health agencies. This session introduces a tailored ICS training approach that uses public health terminology and scenarios to make ICS concepts more relevant to health departments. Participants will learn how asynchronous learning, interactive sessions, and scenario-based exercises can build skills such as standing up a Department Operations Center and developing an Incident Action Plan.

Presenters:

• Michelle Seage, Associate Director, Rocky Mountains & High Plains Center for Emergency Public Health
• Kimberley Shoaf, Professor, University of Utah

Watch the Tailored ICS Training for Public Health Departments Session

Prep 101: Crisis Leadership

Preparedness planners may be called upon to lead through situations that are fast-moving, complex, and uncertain. This session builds foundational leadership skills for emergencies, with a focus on leading under pressure, making decisions with incomplete information, communicating effectively, building trust, and navigating ethical considerations.

Presenter:

• Resham Patel, Assistant Teaching Professor, University of Washington

Watch the Crisis Leadership Session

Prep 101: Administrative Preparedness (State & Local)

Preparedness doesn’t stop at planning and response operations. Strong administrative systems are critical to ensuring that health departments can act quickly and effectively during an emergency. This session introduces the fundamentals of administrative preparedness, including emergency authorities and flexibilities, procurement and contracting, staffing, timekeeping, and documentation.

Presenters:

• Geoffrey Mwaungulu, Director, Public Health Law and Policy, NACCHO
• Gregory Sunshine, Senior Analyst for Legal Preparedness and Response, Office of Public Health Law Services (OPHLS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Watch the Administrative Preparedness Session

Build Your Preparedness Toolkit

Preparedness is an ongoing process. Whether you are starting a new role, onboarding a member of your preparedness team, or simply looking for a refresher, these Prep 101 sessions provide practical foundational knowledge you can apply to your preparedness program.

Explore the sessions that are most relevant to your role, share them with your team, and continue building the skills needed to prepare your community for the next emergency.