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Many of you attended our April community meetings or responded to the survey link in the email sent out about a month ago. Thanks to everyone who has reached out to IOSA and expressed a desire to get involved.
If you haven’t plugged in yet, it’s not too late!
IOSA has scheduled the first trainings for 2019 and it’s HAZWOPER!
For those of you new to IOSA, HAZWOPER is short for "Hazardous Waste Operations & Emergency Response” and the 8HR HAZWOPER training is a minimum training requirement to be able to respond for both containment and oiled wildlife response. State and Federal law requires that anyone working anywhere close to a spill have some level of HAZWOPER training.
For current IOSA responders, the 8HR Hazwoper Training is the annual required refresher course.
In order to sign up, complete this online registration form.
IOSA HAZWOPER Spring Training Schedule
May 14-18, 2019
- 8HR HAZWOPER training on Thursday May 16 in Friday Harbor, from 8:30am to 5:30pm.
- 8HR HAZWOPER training on Friday May 17 on Orcas Island in Eastsound, from 8:00am to 5:00pm.
- 8HR HAZWOPER training on Saturday May 18 on Lopez Island from 8:00am to 5:00pm.
- 24HR HAZWOPER training on Tuesday – Thursday May 14, 15, and 16 in Friday Harbor from roughly 8:30am to 5:30pm.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS about IOSA TRAINING
Q: How do I know whether I should sign up for 8HR or 24HR?
A: The 24HR class is much more intensive and is designed for those who want to be able to be the frontline responders for both large and small spills. This means you’ll get a notice on your phone, you’ll head out your door, and you’ll get on a boat to go investigate and potentially respond to a spill. You’ll need to be fit, nimble on a boat, have no major medical conditions, comfortable being outside for long stretches in wind and rain, and be genuinely interested in being an IOSA responder. Clearly we all have lives and can’t guarantee we’ll be available 365 days a year, but this level of training is for those who want to be involved more than most. If you were previously listed as a 40-80 hr. IOSA responder and are interested in continuing to be active as a responder, this class is recommended. Class size will be limited.
The 8HR class is for a much larger group of people who could play a variety of roles on larger spills. You should still be reasonably fit and healthy, but you’re much less likely to be used on an actual response in any given year. Your commitment level is less, and you’re not expected to be available on short notice. You may end up helping with boom deployment on the water, moving equipment, transporting wildlife or filling any one of dozens of different roles. IOSA responders without current Hazwopper are encouraged to sign up for a refresher.
Q: If I attended the Oct 2018 or Nov 2018 Hazwoper class, do I need to take one of these classes?
A: Depends. If you attended either the Oct 24-26, 2018 24HR class or the Nov. 3, 2018 8HR class your hours are current and you are listed as an Active Responder. IOSA is working on scheduling more trainings to cover the refresher within the anniversary date of both of these classes. This will not be your only opportunity for training. If you took the 8HR class and are interested in the 24HR class, please register for that class.
Q: What if I did not attend those specific classes but have accumulated Hazwoper hours from drills and trainings?
A: At this time, we are unable to certify the previous Hazwoper hours and training levels. We’d love to see you in one of these classes.
Q: What if I can’t attend classes at this time, but would like to work toward being a responder. Are there any additional on-line trainings available?
A: Yes. As IOSA moves forward, we’ll be looking at some new training policies for responders. Trainings that you can do at any time are the WA State Boaters' Card, a First/Aid CPR certification, the online training for ICS 100 and 200. You don’t need to complete these all right away, and if you have any of these currently you can make a note of that in the Volunteer Survey and we can add that information to your training records. Additional Hazwoper classes are being planned for the fall.
Q: Volunteer Survey? What Volunteer Survey?
A: Great question! Even if you are long-time IOSA responder, please take 60 seconds to zip through this Volunteer Survey. You can quickly update your email address, note any additional trainings or certifications and leave comments. This information is being updated in the IOSA database and is being used to plan upcoming trainings.
A few more things to keep in mind:
- We can’t guarantee slots to everyone as class size is limited, but will try to fit you in and will try to get everyone trained up as soon as possible.
- In addition to these classes, we’re aiming to have regular drills and other shorter trainings that provide good practical knowledge on spill response. Stay tuned.
- We’ll release final details on enrollment, class location, and what to bring early next week.
Thank you for your commitment to community based oil spill response!
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