Integrated digital Training in Emergency Management (I_TEM) is a project to introduce digital learning methods into civil protection training, a sector that, at the moment, mostly uses classical classroom-based learning and practical exercises. Some of the presence-based learning is by necessity - practical exercises being the most obvious example. But sometimes opting for the conventional classroom is simply a pragmatic choice, as learners are present for practical exercises already. This is why we aim for a blended learning experience. In the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, we don’t only argue for the usage of digital elements in training for the sake of the educational benefits the targeted and complementary usage of digital media can have on the educational outcomes. We also consider it a contribution to risk minimisation for the target group of learners, who are mostly volunteers. Even if crisis responders of all kinds usually will have to put themselves in harm’s way to a certain extent as part of their work, there is no reason to already take a high personal risk during training. So usage of educational methods that at least reduce the time of personal contact are also a modest but important piece in protecting those who, in times of crisis, are helping and protecting the general population. The primary objective of I_TEM is therefore to introduce blended learning into civil protection training on a pilot basis. This will be done with a particular educational content that has been worked out in a previous EU-financed project that finished in 2016: The SAMETS guidelines, that deal with the special needs of particularly vulnerable groups of people (children, multicultural groups, the elderly, people with disabilities) should they find themselves in an emergency temporary shelter during an emergency. It is particularly suitable as it is a training that is already mostly classroom-based instead of exercised in the field and it is also particularly relevant to the current situation. A general update of the guidelines, with general lessons learned after four years as well as adaptations to emergency scenarios with infectious diseases, will of course also be made - after all, two of SAMETS’ four target groups are also high-risk groups for Covid-19. The innovative intellectual output of the project will thus be an updated version of the SAMETS guidelines that has been adapted for blended learning. This updated version will be tested in two pilot trainings in the project. The choice of SAMETS as educational content has another reason - I_TEM will take steps to integrate the sectors of civil protection and social services when it comes to preparing and training for crises. This is a gap in emergency response that some of the project partners noticed in earlier emergencies, such as the 2016 Central Italy Earthquake, where care personnel were evacuated from the affected villages, leaving elderly people who stayed without essential services. The fact that elderly homes are a particular hotspot for infections all over Europe in the Covid-19 pandemic is another indicator that the two sectors could benefit from an improved mutual understanding. Joint work on updating SAMETS and adapting it to blended learning is a highly suitable context for both sectors to get to know each other and mutually recognise and value each other’s expertise. Therefore, the secondary objective of I_TEM is to contribute to the inter-sector exchange and joint preparedness for emergencies of the civil protection sector and the social services sector. The project partners include organisations from each sector (some have activities in both) and the contributors to the primary objective as well as the participation in the pilot trainings will reflect this. Experts and learners from each group will be able to benefit from the expertise of the others, thereby updating SAMETS with knowledge and experience from both perspectives. While the details of the training will be determined within the project, we intend to integrate learners with extensive prior knowledge into teaching roles, thereby literally having the sectors teach each other relevant aspects of their work. I_TEM sees itself as an important first step and as a proof-of-concept that blended learning can be successfully introduced into civil protection and that by integrating the social sector in this training, better inter-sector collaboration in emergencies can be achieved.
I_TEM’s objective was to introduce blended learning into civil protection training on a pilot basis – to prove that it is not only possible but can be beneficial to move part of a course into an online space. This does not necessarily mean to replace important lessons only learned in-presence, but can also mean that more valuable classroom time can be used for engaging, interactive teaching methods instead of conveying information that could just as well have been an online self-study task. The second objective was a contribution to bridging the sectors of civil protection and social services. The joint development and conduction of pilot trainings has the potential to ultimately improve the situation of certain target groups (“vulnerable groups”) in emergencies. The goal is to have trained volunteers that are well prepared to meet the support needs of the target groups focused in the project: Children, multicultural groups, elderly people and people with disabilities. Contrary to earlier attempts and first steps done in this area, we consider it important to develop such a training together with civil protection and social service providers, with the potential of increasing voluntary engagement among social service experts.
In large-scale disasters, e.g. if evacuation and temporary shelters are necessary, people who rely on social services in their daily lives will often be left without them. It is important to train volunteers in working with and better meeting the support needs of such target groups. I_TEM focused children, multicultural groups, persons with disability and elderly people. This issue cannot be solved by civil protection organisations alone. Integration of social service providers into the process, and enabling social service experts to become active in emergencies, is necessary for the best possible outcome. This involvement of social services was a gap in earlier attempts to solve this challenge. In I_TEM, civil protection and social services worked directly together. The second challenge is that civil protection training methods are usually in presence without making use of digital training opportunities. Prompted by the Covid-19 pandemic, but also out of a sense that digital elements can improve education and training regardless of the acute urgency at the time, the training concept that was developed in I_TEM uses blended learning - it utilizes e-learning to make the most of the strengths of offline and online instruction.