Rural Domestic Preparedness Consortium

"Rural Communities across America will have the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to enhance the safety, security and quality of life for their citizens."

RDPC Website

Training & Tools for Rural Responders

The nation's rural emergency responders face unique challenges when compared to their urban counterparts. In recognizing the need for consistent, quality training which addresses those challenges, Congress and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) established the Rural Domestic Preparedness Consortium (RDPC or the Consortium) to develop and deliver relevant all-hazards training in support of rural homeland security requirements. See our course catalog for further details on each training program. All training delivered by the RDPC is certified by DHS and is offered tuition-free.

A New Approach

Led by Eastern Kentucky University, the Consortium is comprised of academic partners that possess extensive experience and unique capabilities in serving the rural emergency response community. The RDPC is composed of the following academic partners, as well as other strategic partners who support our mission.

• East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennesee
• Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, Kentucky
• Iowa Central Community College, Ft. Dodge, Iowa
• Northwest Arkansas Community College, Bentonville, Arkansas
• The University of Findlay, Findlay, Ohio
• North Carolina Central University, Durham, North Carolina

To ensure that training directly reflects the needs of rural emergency responders, the Consortium conducted numerous focus groups, convened a national rural preparedness summit and completed a national survey of rural communities. Data gathered from these activities was used to determine the type of training needs, the extent to which it is needed, and the best methods for delivering it.

This page was last updated on:  August 12, 2010 @ 1:56 pm