2024 Emergency Response Training Schedule is Now Available

NOV. 6, 2023 — OR&R recently completed its final response training event of fiscal year 2023, providing training to over 2,300 emergency responders and planners over the course of the year.

An OR&R training team guides a student field exercise, in which they practice their newly acquired Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Technique (SCAT) field skills. Image credit: NOAA
An OR&R training team guides a student field exercise, in which they practice their newly acquired Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Technique (SCAT) field skills. Image credit: NOAA

OR&R has announced training classes on various spill response topics in a number of locations for fiscal year 2024. All spill responders and planners are encouraged to apply. 

Science of Oil Spills (SOS) classes:

  • Mobile, Alabama, March 18-22, 2024:  Application form is open until Dec. 7, 2023.
  • Seattle, Washington, June 3-7, 2024:  Application period will be open Dec. 11, 2023 - Feb. 8, 2024.
  • Ann Arbor, Michigan, September 16-20, 2024: Application period will open on March 25, 2024.

Science of Chemical Releases (SOCR) classes:

  • Mobile, Alabama, March 11-15, 2024:  Application form is open until Dec. 7, 2023.
  • Seattle, Washington, May 6-10, 2024:  Application period will be open Dec. 11, 2023 - Feb. 8, 2024.

OR&R will continue to host its virtual lecture series, You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know, on the third Thursday of each month. Additionally, OR&R's scientific support coordinators (located regionally around the country) are also planning to host Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Technique (SCAT) classes with their U.S. Coast Guard districts.

For those planning to attend the triennial International Oil Spill Conference (IOSC) in May 2024, OR&R will again be teaching several half-day Short Courses. The Short Courses will be on a broad range of response topics, with NOAA scientists presenting: Aerial Surveillance of Oil Spills; a hands-on session, NOAA Tools for Basic Oil Spill Forecasting and Modeling; and Responder Safety: Knowledge and Tools to Keep You and Your Team Safe During an Oil Spill.

    Can’t attend an in-person training? OR&R also has job aids and on-demand training to help you prepare for disasters. In addition, OR&R’s Aerial Observations of Oil Spills course is always available online and OR&R’s ERMA® (Environmental Response Management Application) team has completed a series of videos that are available in the ERMA help menu to improve skills in using ERMA. 

    There is no cost to attend an OR&R trainings, but participants must cover their own travel expenses for in-person training. OR&R’s classes experience high demand and aim to diversify the participant composition to accommodate need, ensure a variety of perspectives and experiences, and enrich the class for the benefit of all participants. 

    In addition to the courses noted above for FY24, OR&R trainers will offer a Resource Advisor class for field observers assisting with large marine debris removal efforts, a NOAA-specific ICS-300 class [(Incident Command System-300) for candidates internal to NOAA], and an internal Safety Academy to help prepare NOAA staff and U.S. Coast Guard Strike Team Members to safely execute spill response duties in the field. Training dates will be made available on the OR&R Training Calendar. 

    Last updated Monday, February 26, 2024 9:57pm PST