Securing the Second Front Achieving First Receiver Safety and Security Through Competency-Based Tools

This article describes a 5-hour emergency preparedness training targeted to interprofessional teams of first receivers that incorporated didactic and small group trainings, followed by practice in a large patient simulator designed to recreate “environmentally challenging (i.e., flood evacuation), multi-patient scenarios using a novel technique developed to utilize trainees as actors.” The training was evaluated by trained observers, and participants completed pre-tests, post-tests, and self-assessments of comfort level with disaster preparedness. Results showed significant improvement in knowledge and comfort level among all participants.