This ERTP course is open to our Federal, State, Local and Tribal partners, with On-Scene Coordinators (OSC’s) and U.S. Coast Guard Staff having priority registration preference.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This 4-day course is designed for On-Scene Coordinators (OSCs) from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  The goal of this course, which covers portions of the legislation in the National Contingency Plan and the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, is to introduce new OSCs and refresh current OSCs on the regulations, funding, and methodology for responding to oil spills.  

This course may be delivered in-person (at the EPA ERT Warehouse in Erlanger, KY) or virtually.

Topics that are covered in this course include the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, National Contingency Plan, understanding oil spill basics, accessing and using the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, oil spill response, alternative technologies, preparedness and prevention, case studies, and exercises.  Instructional methods include lectures, problem sessions, and interactive exercises that emphasize the practical and problem-solving skills related to spill control and cleanup.

After completing this course, participants will be able to:

• Discuss how major legislation relates to oil spill containment and cleanup activities.

• Identify basic technical issues associated with inland oil spills.

• Access and use the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund.

• Identify the basics of spill prevention control and countermeasure.

• Understand the use of basic containment and recovery methods.

• Discuss various agencies’ roles when responding to inland oil spills.

Course instructors may include current and former federal and state OSCs who may also serve as technical advisors in oil spill control and cleanup along with U.S. Coast Guard representatives.  Other instructors include experienced oil spill responders from the public and private sectors.

Class is limited to 30 students.

Continuing Education Units: 3.2

Participants must complete all modules for all days of the course to receive the course completion certificate.

COURSE MATERIALS

In compliance with Executive Order 13589 - Promoting Efficient Spending, Section 5; the ERTP will not be regularly printing or providing students hard copies of the course materials. The general course agenda is found at ertpvu.org.

QUESTIONS

For general information, contact the Shelly Norland/ERTP by telephone at 702-715-4969 or via e-mail at norland.shelly@epa.gov. 

For technical details related to course content, contact the EPA Oil Course Technical Lead – Fred Stroud by telephone at 702-784-8007 or via e-mail at stroud.fred@epa.gov. 

For all other details related to ERTP contractual matters, courses, as well as EPA's 5170 processing & approvals for this course, etc. contact ERTP staff at:

• Shelly Norland at 702-784-8004, norland.shelly@epa.gov, and
• Sean Gavlas at 702-784-8004, gavlas.sean@epa.gov

Unless otherwise specified, THIS COURSE, AND OTHER ERTP COURSES, IS NOT OPEN TO CONSULTANTS, CONTRACTORS, OR ANY PRIVATE ENTITIES.
*This course is offered free of charge to all registrants who are confirmed to attend.*

IMPORTANT NOTICES – Applicable to all ERTP courses :

1. ERTP’s receipt of a Trainex course registration is a Registration Request, it is not a Guaranteed Enrollment in the Course. All ERTP training courses require applicant registration thru the Trainex system. Last minute course arrivals without prior ERTP Trainex course registration approval is not permitted. Before ERTP issues final approval to deliver any course and/or any EPA offices incurring expenses for the training event (including but not limited to EPA staff travel TA’s and/or ERTP training contractor expenses incurred), all EPA mandatory pre-approvals must all be met. The pre-approvals include (but are not limited to) the following:
   
   • Training location’s availability;
   • COVID status and/or other COVID Guidelines in effect for the location, as well as staff;
   • Agency limitations, scrutiny, and approvals of ‘Conference Spending Requirements (known as the “5170”)’ for the specific training course(s) scheduled delivery timeframe;
   • Weather (blizzard, hurricane, etc);
   • Contractual number of available course training slots;
   • EPA training location staff having priority registration over all other registrations; and/or
   • Hosting site Training Coordinator approval.
   
   In the event a course is subsequently postponed or canceled, or notification of registration cancellation is received, all EPA travel arrangements (airline/car rental/hotel) should be canceled in a timely manner. Registered students will receive a notification via email if/when a course is postponed and/or cancelled.
    
2. For in-person course deliveries, confirmed course registered participants must abide by all facility physical access requirements for the location (examples: check-in at the security gate, Federal ID, Government PIV/CAC cards, photo id’s, etc.). If applicable for the course or location, restrictions may apply to non-citizens and acceptable identification may be required for facility entry.

Remedial Design/Remedial Action (RD/RA) focuses on aspects of the RD/RA phase of a Superfund project and the objectives, issues and challenges that Remedial Project Managers (RPM) face during response planning and implementation. By taking the course, participants will achieve the following objectives:

• Identify steps for implementing and completing an RD/RA project under Superfund. The course provides a comprehensive examination of the RD/RA process.
• Describe the overall effort needed to conduct an RD/RA project and identify and anticipate the difficulties that can arise during such an effort. The course provides practical guidance that helps both engineers and RPMs who have other backgrounds effectively implement the design and construction phases of a Superfund cleanup.
• Describe the role of the RPM as a project manager. The course examines the crucial role of the RPM in planning an RD/RA project; effectively managing contracting, scheduling, budgeting and other aspects of the effort; coordinating activities with states and tribes; conducting effective community relations efforts; and more.
• Apply the skills they have developed to real-life situations. The course provides RPMs the opportunity to work through realistic case studies that highlight actual issues and problems that can arise.

RD/RA is a 2-day training course and is intended primarily for RPMs who have two or more years of experience or who currently are or soon will be involved in an RD/RA project. The course is also open to other federal, state and tribal personnel. THIS COURSE IS NOT OPEN TO ACADEMIA, CONSULTANTS, CONTRACTORS OR ANY PRIVATE ENTITIES.

*This course is offered free of charge to all registrants who are confirmed to attend.*

This 2-day course meets all the requirements and training needs of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) for Advanced Incident Command System training.

Target Group
This course is intended for U.S. EPA and U.S. Coast Guard personnel that have successfully completed Incident Command and related training, I-100, I-200, ICS-300, IS-700b and IS-800d level training, and who will hold supervisory positions within an ICS organization.

Objectives
After completing the course, participants will be able to:

• Summarize principal responsibilities for each Command and General Staff member.
• Describe the roles of deputies and assistants in incident management.
• Describe the purposes and responsibilities of agency representatives, reporting relationships, and how they can be effectively used within the incident organization.
• Describe areas of cost sharing which might apply under a Unified Command structure.
• List the principal factors often found in, or related to, major and / or complex incidents.
• List the four expansion options for incident organization and describe the conditions under which they would be applied.
• Define Area Command.
• Identify differences between Area Command, Unified Command, Multi-agency Coordination Systems, and Emergency Operations Centers.
• List the principal advantages of using Area Command.
• Describe how, when, and where Area Command would be established.
• Describe the Area Command organization.
• Identify six primary functional responsibilities of Area Command.

https://ertpvu.org/ClassroomCourseDetail.aspx?id=8

The classroom version of this course is delivered over two days (14 to 16 hours)

The virtual version of this course is delivered over three 5.5-hours per day or fewer via MS TEAMs

Continuing Education Units: 1.3

Unless otherwise specified, THIS COURSE, AND OTHER ERTP COURSES, IS NOT OPEN TO CONSULTANTS, CONTRACTORS, OR ANY PRIVATE ENTITIES.
*This course is offered free of charge to all registrants who are confirmed to attend.*

IMPORTANT NOTICES – Applicable to all ERTP courses :

1. ERTP’s receipt of a Trainex course registration is a Registration Request, it is not a Guaranteed Enrollment in the Course. All ERTP training courses require applicant registration thru the Trainex system. Last minute course arrivals without prior ERTP Trainex course registration approval is not permitted. Before ERTP issues final approval to deliver any course and/or any EPA offices incurring expenses for the training event (including but not limited to EPA staff travel TA’s and/or ERTP training contractor expenses incurred), all EPA mandatory pre-approvals must all be met. The pre-approvals include (but are not limited to) the following:
   
   • Training location’s availability;
   • COVID status and/or other COVID Guidelines in effect for the location, as well as staff;
   • Agency limitations, scrutiny, and approvals of ‘Conference Spending Requirements (known as the “5170”)’ for the specific training course(s) scheduled delivery timeframe;
   • Weather (blizzard, hurricane, etc);
   • Contractual number of available course training slots;
   • EPA training location staff having priority registration over all other registrations; and/or
   • Hosting site Training Coordinator approval.
   
   In the event a course is subsequently postponed or canceled, or notification of registration cancellation is received, all EPA travel arrangements (airline/car rental/hotel) should be canceled in a timely manner. Registered students will receive a notification via email if/when a course is postponed and/or cancelled.
    
2. For in-person course deliveries, confirmed course registered participants must abide by all facility physical access requirements for the location (examples: check-in at the security gate, Federal ID, Government PIV/CAC cards, photo id’s, etc.). If applicable for the course or location, restrictions may apply to non-citizens and acceptable identification may be required for facility entry.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 5 is sponsoring a series of web-based training programs this year for water and wastewater plant operators, and other facilities that have chlorine in a process. These FREE training programs will provide participants with the information and tools necessary to comply with EPA’s emergency planning, notification, and reporting requirements for chlorine.

OBJECTIVES

At the completion of this training, participants will be able to:

• Identify entities that need to be notified about the amount of chlorine being used or stored at their facility;
• Explain chlorine release notification procedures;
• Explain what should be included in a Risk Management Program and submitted in a Risk Management Plan;
• Describe common compliance deficiencies; and
• Describe best management practices.

Receipt of a Trainex course registration is a Registration Request, it is not a Guaranteed Enrollment in the Course. All training courses require applicant registration through the Trainex system. Last minute course arrivals without prior Trainex course registration approval is not permitted. 

Incremental Sampling is a two-day course that provides an overview of incremental sampling concepts to address soil heterogeneity and obtain soil samples that are representative of the site. The course also includes an introduction to using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) in conjunction with incremental sampling to support real-time decision making for characterization and cleanup. By taking the course, participants will achieve the following objectives:

• Understand how soil heterogeneity affects data variability and how incremental sampling controls heterogeneity.
• Calculate common statistical parameters used to support quality control and analysis of incremental sampling.
• Build the introductory skills needed to plan, design, collect, and analyze incremental soil samples with robust data quality considerations.
• Understand the theory and operation of XRF and how it is used in the field to collect high-quality metal concentration data.
• Receive hands-on training for designing an incremental sampling approach, collecting incremental samples, calculating statistical parameters, and taking XRF measurements on prepared soil samples.

The training course uses a combination of lectures and interactive scenarios for participants to practice and discuss sampling design based on a site’s conceptual site model, present case studies and lessons learned for a variety of applications and contaminant scenarios and provide an opportunity for hands-on demonstration of incremental sampling and subsampling tools and approaches. 

Managing Contracts: Focus on the Invoice is a full-day intermediate training course that will provide detailed information on the role the RPM plays in review, approval, and payment of invoices. By taking the course, RPMs will be better able to meet their responsibilities regarding contractor invoices. The course will cover the following:

• Overview of the role of the invoice in Agency accounting and cost control
• Review of the roles and responsibilities of the CO, PO, RPM, and Research Triangle Park (RTP) for general contracting activities and, specifically, for invoice review, approval or disapproval, and payment or disallowance of payment
• Detailed description of the role and responsibilities of the RPM with regard to invoice review
• Identifying specific EPA guidance to assist the RPM in carrying out delegated responsibilities
• Detailed breakdown and description of each element of the invoice and each cost component in the invoice, from the high level roll-ups and summaries to the detailed breakdowns
• Tips and pointers on how to review an invoice and how to resolve potential discrepancies identified during the review
• An exercise that allows participants to practice reviewing an invoice and identify potential discrepancies
• Facilitated discussion on the challenges RPMs face when they review invoices

The instructional methodology for this course includes lecture, a group exercise, and facilitated discussion. The target audience for this course is RPMs with at least 2 to 3 years of experience in managing work assignments and task orders.

Registration for this training is open to U.S. EPA employees ONLY.

The Removal Process course provides On-Scene Coordinators (OSC) and others who support the removal program with fundamental information and practical knowledge needed to plan, conduct or support removal actions effectively in response to releases of hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants as well as discharges of oil under the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP). The Removal Process course is structured to follow the framework of the NCP. By taking the course, participants will achieve the following objectives:

• Learn to carry out the step-by-step process of conducting a removal action. The course follows the chain of events from site discovery to completion of the removal action, demonstrating how the enforcement process is integrated into various phases of the removal process.
• Understand the authorities and limitations of an OSC during a removal action. The course provides a comprehensive review of statutory and regulatory requirements, including an overview of response authority, requirements for public participation and regulations governing contracting services.
• Understand the Incident Command System/Unified Command (ICS/UC) and an OSC’s role during an emergency response. This course strengthens an OSC’s ability to use the ICS/UC effectively and reiterates the roles and responsibilities of an OSC during emergency responses to releases of hazardous substances. The course examines the organization of the ICS/UC and provides a thorough discussion of the planning and support functions associated with the ICS/UC.
• Use their newly developed knowledge and skills to solve real-life problems. Participants are challenged to apply the information and knowledge acquired during the course to realistic exercises and case studies and will be presented with tools and resources available to the OSC.

The Removal Process course is an intermediate 4.5 day training that is geared towards OSCs and other responders or removal program personnel (Headquarters regional coordinators, Removal Managers, enforcement personnel and Special Team members) who are responsible for or need to know about removal response activities under CERCLA as well as the Oil Pollution Act (OPA)/Clean Water Act (CWA). Other Federal Agency OSCs and State OSCs will also be permitted to attend, but priority will be given to EPA OSCs. THIS COURSE IS NOT OPEN TO ACADEMIA, CONSULTANTS, CONTRACTORS OR ANY PRIVATE ENTITIES. The Fundamentals of Superfund course is a prerequisite for EPA employees who would like to attend the Removal Process course.

*This course is offered free of charge to all registrants who are confirmed to attend.*

The ARARs Academy is a beginner- to intermediate-level course that focuses on applicable or relevant and appropriate requirements (ARARs) in the remedial program. The course builds on the ARAR material presented in other CEC courses, such as Fundamentals of Superfund and Remedial Process. Participants will have the opportunity to examine the topic in more detail and apply the course concepts to site-specific situations. The ARARs Academy includes a recorded webinar series (ARAR Talks) and in-class portion, both of which are required. The recorded webinar portion will provide the participants with the foundation necessary to complete the exercises that primarily make up the in-class portion of the course. By completing the ARARs Academy, participants will be better able to:

• Define important terms and apply them when evaluating ARARs
• Describe the regulatory requirements of the common federal statutes often considered ARAR for Superfund actions and explain when they may be ARAR
• Describe ARAR documentation in the ROD including how the selected remedy complies with ARARs
• Explain how state laws and regulations can be ARAR
• Describe the six ARAR waivers and how each might be used

The ARARs Academy consists of five 1-hour recorded webinars and a 2-day in-class training and is recommended for RPMs with at least six months experience and may have assisted other RPMs with Superfund sites or now are preparing to take the lead on Superfund sites. The ARARs Academy may also be a good review for more experienced RPMs. In addition, the ARARs Academy may also be valuable to EPA site attorneys, other Superfund staff, and State personnel supporting Superfund sites. THIS COURSE IS NOT OPEN TO ACADEMIA, CONSULTANTS, CONTRACTORS OR ANY PRIVATE ENTITIES. Superfund 101 and the Remedial Process course are prerequisites for attendees to participate in the ARARs Academy.

Please note pre-work is required for this course. Attendees will be required to complete a five-part pre-recorded webinar series called ARAR Talks, that will cover introductory materials including a review of important definitions, the ARAR identification process, ARAR waivers, and a review of the most common Federal ARARs. Each ARAR Talks webinar recording is approximately 1-hour long for a total of 5 hours to complete at your own pace. If you have any questions regarding the webinars, please feel free to contact Leslie Sterling, ICF at leslie.sterling@icf.com.
 

The Superfund Essentials webinar series presents essential information for environmental staff with little Superfund experience. The webinar introduces the Superfund program and gives an overview of the statutory and regulatory requirements. The removal and remedial process modules describe the assessment and response process followed by OSCs and RPMs as they address their sites. The webinar closes out by explaining the community involvement program and its role in Superfund and a discussion on the site assessment process. 

Objectives: After taking the webinar series, the participants will be able to (1) explain the provisions and requirements of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) and the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP), (2) follow the assessment and response process for conducting removal and remedial actions, (3) describe the community involvement program and their part in cleanup actions, and (4) explain the importance of several special topics to the Superfund program.

This series is not open to Academia, consultants, contractors or other private entities. 

This ERTP course is open to our Federal, State, Local and Tribal partners, with On-Scene Coordinators (OSC’s) and U.S. Coast Guard Staff having priority registration preference.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This 5-day course is designed primarily for On-Scene Coordinators (OSCs) from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), state agencies, and other first responders is delivered at the EPA ERT Warehouse in Erlanger, Kentucky.  The goal of this course is to have participants learn then demonstrate containment and recovery techniques for an inland oil spill in either a fast or slow water environment.  Participants will learn boater safety; operate boats and deploy containment boom on lakes or rivers; provide protection to shorelines and sensitive areas; establish an oil recovery site; and install weirs, underflow dams and filter fences on streams.

This course will be delivered in-person.  Instructional methods include classroom instruction, case studies, and primarily on-water field work.

After completion of the course, the participants will be able to demonstrate or discuss small boat safety and operations, various methods of containment boom deployment and anchoring, recovery site selection and operations, and health and safety issues relevant to oil spill response and recovery operations.  All this will be based on the topics presented, situations covered, and suitability of the selected location(s) for delivery.

Course instructors may include current and former federal and state OSCs who may also serve as technical advisors in oil spill control and cleanup.  Other instructors include experienced oil spill responders from the public and private sectors.

Class size is limited to 30 students. 

Continuing Education Units: 4.0

Participants must complete all modules for all days of the course to receive the course completion certificate.

This course includes hands-on field activities that can be strenuous.

COURSE PARTICIPATION NOTES**

**Attendees will need to wear appropriate attire for fieldwork and on-water operations.  This includes appropriate work gloves, eye protection, footwear, and outerwear for foul weather.  Attendees are encouraged to bring their own sunscreen, insect repellant, and Personal Flotation Device (PFD) since supplies will be limited.*

COURSE MATERIALS

In compliance with Executive Order 13589 - Promoting Efficient Spending, Section 5; the ERTP will not be regularly printing or providing students hard copies of the course materials. The general course agenda is found at ertpvu.org.

QUESTIONS

For general information, contact the Registrar by telephone at 513-251-7669 or via e-mail at ertp-registrar2@tetratech.com. 

For technical details related to course content, including tailoring of course content, contact the EPA Oil Course Technical Lead – Fred Stroud by telephone at 702-784-8007 or via e-mail at stroud.fred@epa.gov. 

For all other details related to ERTP contractual matters, courses, as well as EPA's 5170 processing & approvals for this course, etc. contact ERTP staff at:

• Shelly Norland at 702-784-8004, norland.shelly@epa.gov, and
• Sean Gavlas at 702-784-8004, gavlas.sean@epa.gov

Unless otherwise specified, THIS COURSE, AND OTHER ERTP COURSES, IS NOT OPEN TO CONSULTANTS, CONTRACTORS, OR ANY PRIVATE ENTITIES.
*This course is offered free of charge to all registrants who are confirmed to attend.*

IMPORTANT NOTICES – Applicable to all ERTP courses :

1. ERTP’s receipt of a Trainex course registration is a Registration Request, it is not a Guaranteed Enrollment in the Course. All ERTP training courses require applicant registration thru the Trainex system. Last minute course arrivals without prior ERTP Trainex course registration approval is not permitted. Before ERTP issues final approval to deliver any course and/or any EPA offices incurring expenses for the training event (including but not limited to EPA staff travel TA’s and/or ERTP training contractor expenses incurred), all EPA mandatory pre-approvals must all be met. The pre-approvals include (but are not limited to) the following:
   
   • Training location’s availability;
   • COVID status and/or other COVID Guidelines in effect for the location, as well as staff;
   • Agency limitations, scrutiny, and approvals of ‘Conference Spending Requirements (known as the “5170”)’ for the specific training course(s) scheduled delivery timeframe;
   • Weather (blizzard, hurricane, etc);
   • Contractual number of available course training slots;
   • EPA training location staff having priority registration over all other registrations; and/or
   • Hosting site Training Coordinator approval.
   
   In the event a course is subsequently postponed or canceled, or notification of registration cancellation is received, all EPA travel arrangements (airline/car rental/hotel) should be canceled in a timely manner. Registered students will receive a notification via email if/when a course is postponed and/or cancelled.
    
2. For in-person course deliveries, confirmed course registered participants must abide by all facility physical access requirements for the location (examples: check-in at the security gate, Federal ID, Government PIV/CAC cards, photo id’s, etc.). If applicable for the course or location, restrictions may apply to non-citizens and acceptable identification may be required for facility entry.

RPM 201, an intermediate-level training course, expands on the Remedial Process course. The course is offered as part of the ongoing effort to prepare RPMs for the challenges they will encounter during all aspects of a remedial action. The instructional methodology will include case studies to provide participants an opportunity to apply the skills learned during the course. The course will also include time for participants to ask specific questions about their own sites they currently are working on, as well as emerging technical and programmatic policy and guidance from EPA Headquarters. By taking the course, participants will achieve the following objectives:

• Learn how to manage common issues or concepts at remedial action sites, such as vapor intrusion, sediment removal, contaminated groundwater plumes and green remediation.
• Learn project management skills, including management of a project, forecasting resources and costs, planning meetings, documenting site activities and tracking schedules and costs.
• Learn effective ways to communicate various types of issues at sites to residents and communities.
• Learn how to incorporate optimization into new and existing remedial actions.

RPM 201 is a 2-½-day training recommended for RPMs with at least 2 years of experience and may have assisted other RPMs with remedial actions or now are preparing to take the lead in conducting a remedial action. Superfund 101 and the Remedial Process course are prerequisites for EPA attendees to participate in RPM 201. While RPM 201 may be most beneficial to new RPMs with 5 years of experience or less, the course is very interactive and more experienced RPMs that attend will be encouraged to share their field background with the class. THIS COURSE IS NOT OPEN TO ACADEMIA, CONSULTANTS, CONTRACTORS OR ANY PRIVATE ENTITIES.

*This course is offered free of charge to all registrants who are confirmed to attend.*