As the field of emergency management evolves, is it time to enhance its training methods?

Each year, millions of individuals participate in emergency management training courses. Training opportunities are plentiful and offered by a variety of governmental, public and private providers, in a variety of locations and teaching environments, using a multitude of different topics, styles and methodologies. Training opportunities are vast and often designed to support a broad audience of learners, including those seeking to attain new skills as well as those seeking to retrain or change career. Yet, despite the abundant opportunities for training, including education, instruction, exercises and drills (including training on how to train), in the period following the activation of the emergency operations centre, when the time has come to implement the tools and actions taught, there remain problems. With all this training available, what exactly are workers learning and what are they forgetting? This paper will look at the need for an evolution in traditional emergency management training methods, such as what is working, what is not working, and how methods could evolve to enhance training engagement, increase knowledge retention, and improve worker performance.