Emergency Management Training Program

The California Specialized Training Institute (CSTI) provides training in all phases of emergency management: preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation. Additionally, CSTI offers specialized training in crisis communications, exercise design, and emergency planning for schools and populations with access and functional needs. Our emergency management curriculum covers the full spectrum of hazards, including: earthquakes, floods, fires, severe weather, tsunamis, hazardous materials, and terrorism.

Emergency management professional development is also a key component in CSTI’s training programs. Our course choices include: Basic and Advanced Training for Emergency Services Coordinators, EOC Position Specific Training, EOC Action Planning Training, and all levels of the California’s Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS) and Incident Command System (ICS) approved courses.​

All CSTI’s Emergency Management courses can be applied to Cal OES’s Emergency Management Specialist Certificate Program as either a core or elective course.

​EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST CERTIFICATE

Required Courses (4):

• Emergency Management Concepts

• Mitigation for Emergency Managers

• Emergency Planning

• Recovery from Disasters: The Local Community Role

Elective Courses (3):

Must equal 72 elective hours of instruction. 

Standardized Emergency Managment System (SEMS)

​The Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS) was developed from legislation introduced in 1992 and signed into law in 1993. Its policies and procedures are set forth in the California Government Code, Section 8607, Emergency Services Act (Chapter 7, Division 1, Title 2). All state agencies are required by law to use the Standardized Emergency Management System. Local agencies eligible for funding of response-related costs under disaster assistance programs are also encouraged to use SEMS when responding to disasters or major events involving multiple agencies.

CSTI was principally involved in the development of the Standardized Emergency Management System in 1992. SEMS has been incorporated into all of Cal OES/CSTI's programs. Our SEMS training programs are individually tailored to fit specific agency needs and may address a wide range of emergency management topics and issues. Our staff considers a jurisdiction's facilities, plans, and personnel in the design of each program. Programs designed for your jurisdiction or agency could include components from any of the SEMS Courses.

SEMS ACI Training Materials

SEMS Regulations Regarding Minimum Training Performance Objectives and Approved Course of Instruction (ACI)

TITLE 19. PUBLIC SAFETY DIVISION 2. OFFICE OF EMERGENCY SERVICES Chapter 1.
Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS)

§ 2428. Minimum Performance Objectives. (a) Emergency response agencies shall determine the appropriate level(s) of SEMS instruction for each member of their staff, based upon the staff member's potential assignment during an emergency response. (b) Emergency response agencies shall ensure that their emergency response personnel can demonstrate and maintain, to the level deemed appropriate, the minimum SEMS performance objectives required by their agencies' training programs. Agencies shall use the Minimum Performance Objectives contained in the Approved Course of Instruction (ACI) Syllabus dated March 1, 1995, which are hereby incorporated by reference, as the basis for their training programs. Minimum Performance Objectives are contained in Paragraph D of each Course Module description. (c) SEMS minimum performance objectives shall be met through completion of materials from the ACI, completion of equivalent courses of instruction, or through incorporation of the objectives into exercises.
SEMS ACI Objectives are included in the following curriculum:

There are additional Federal training requirements in the NIMS Training Plan:
“National Incident Management System Training Program Sept 2011”

If you have any questions you can contact: EMoutreach.coordinator@caloes.ca.gov

​SEMS Certification

For SEMS certification, follow your agencies current procedures for documenting training and issuing certificates. It is recommended that a SEMS training record-keeping system include:

1. An individual training record for each person, kept either in their personnel file or in a separate training record file. The name of the course, instructor, location, and date should be included in the training record.

2. Maintenance of the individual training record for as long as the person is employed in a position that involves an emergency response role. Records of personnel involved in an actual emergency should be kept at least until any training compliance issues have been resolved.

3. Documentation of the agency's SEMS training program including copies of the training materials used, such as; instructor syllabus, lesson plans, participant manuals, exercises, and tests. Additional materials are being developed by Cal OES and the SEMS Training & Exercise Specialist Committee and will be added to this website on a regular basis.