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The goal of the course is to improve the ability of public, private, and nonprofit
partners to establish more effective and coordinated preparedness and response efforts for public health (PH) emergencies related to large-scale biological, natural, or man-made disasters, including pandemics. Workshop discussions will be held to enhance coordinated preparedness and response for future pandemic, biological, natural, or man-made disaster-related PH emergencies.
Date and Time:
In-person
July 21-22, 2025
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Location:
Leona Training Center
2123 University Park Dr, Suite 150
Okemos, MI 48864
The course is 16 hours, and participants will earn 1.6 CEUs. Participant materials will be provided digitally. Please plan to bring an electronic device to class.
Every three years, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) organizes sampling team exercises to demonstrate and test surge capacity in emergency response and test multiple emergency plans and procedures. In 2025, we are offering ten sessions throughout the state to improve our emergency response capacity through education, training, and development.
Each session will feature an MDARD cross-divisional Incident Management Team (IMT) that will plan and manage the response to an emergency scenario. This year, the IMTs will operate more independently than in previous years, demonstrating increased capacity and expertise using the Incident Command System (ICS) and the ICS Planning Cycle.
Times for all sessions: registration/doors open at 8:30 am, session starts at 9:00 am, and concludes by 4:00 pm (generic agenda below).
- Tuesday, July 8 - Water Quality Sampling - Bay/Thumb Area
- Thursday, July 17 - Radiological Emergency Preparedness - Capital Area
- Wednesday, August 13 - Retail Sampling (Pesticides, Food, and/or Feed) - Alpena area
- Thursday, August 28 - Animal Health - Grand Rapids Area
- Thursday, September 25 - Animal Health – UP; Escanaba or Marquette area
- Tuesday, October 14 - Retail Sampling (Pesticides, Food, and/or Feed) - Metro Detroit North Area
- Thursday, October 23 - Retail Sampling (Pesticides, Food, and/or Feed) – Capital Area
We invite you to attend a session and observe one or more of the many capabilities we’ll demonstrate. Please complete the registration form linked below. If you’re interested in observing the IMT and/or participating in field sampling operations, please let us know in the registration survey and we’ll make that happen.
After registering, you will receive a generic calendar hold. You will receive specific logistics information from the IMT, including Incident Command Post location, in the week leading up to the exercise.
If you have any questions about Sampling Team Exercise or registration, please feel free to contact Elizabeth Zay (zaye@michigan.gov).
The Director of National Intelligence (DNI) warns that commercial surveillance tools are increasingly used to covertly target individuals, posing serious risks to privacy and security worldwide. These tools, sold to governments and other entities, are being maliciously deployed to target journalists, activists, and others by infecting mobile and internet-connected devices—sometimes without any user interaction. They can record audio, track location, and access almost all device data, including messages, files, and browsing history.
To reduce risk,
- Regularly update your device and apps.
- Avoid suspicious links or attachments.
- Verify URLs.
- Restart devices often.
- Encrypt and password-protect your device.
- Maintain physical control.
- Use trusted VPNs.
- Disable geo-location.
- Cover cameras.
While these steps help, they don’t eliminate risk entirely, so always assume your device could be compromised and handle sensitive information with caution.
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