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Imagine this: A school bus collides with a tanker hauling pesticide along a county road in north Idaho, exposing children to the hazardous contents.

A truck hauling an unknown chemical crashes on I-84 near Mountain Home, erupting into flames and emitting toxic fumes.

How do emergency and health-care workers in rural Idaho prepare for such emergencies? How can they care for the injured while protecting themselves and their surroundings from contamination?

These questions will be the focus of five training sessions conducted in Idaho鈥檚 rural communities in November by the federal Center for Domestic Preparedness and coordinated by 色花堂app-Boise鈥檚 Institute of Emergency Management or IEM.

鈥淚ncidents involving hazardous material contamination can happen anywhere 鈥� in rural areas as well has urban centers,鈥� says Ellen Jones, the IEM鈥檚 training coordinator. 鈥淚t鈥檚 vital that first responders everywhere be trained to provide life-saving help to victims while protecting themselves and health-care providers.鈥�

During the day-long session, first responders鈥攅mergency and health-care workers, law enforcement officers, firefighters and paramedics鈥攚ill practice decontamination techniques, patient transport and the use of personal protective equipment. Participants pay no cost.

鈥淲e wanted to take advantage of this training opportunity. We are a small critical-access hospital and this type of training doesn鈥檛 come to us readily,鈥� says Felice Lampert, a spokeswoman for Benewah Community Hospital, located in the north Idaho community of St. Maries.

<>Officials at Mountain Home鈥檚 Elmore Medical Center consider the training a necessity because of the community鈥檚 proximity to Interstate 84 which is frequently used by trucks hauling hazardous or flammable materials. <>

鈥淎s the only hospital in Elmore County, it鈥檚 important for us to be a leader in emergency preparedness. This is a great opportunity for everyone to get on the same page,鈥� says Keri Meis, Elmore鈥檚 Center for Community Health planner.

Training dates and participating hospitals are:

鈥�    Nov 10 鈥� Benewah Community Hospital, St. Maries and Shoshone Medical Center, Kellogg.

鈥�    Nov 12 鈥� St. Joseph Regional Medical Center 鈥� Lewiston  

鈥�    Nov 14 鈥� Syringa General Hospital 鈥� Grangeville  

鈥�    Nov 17 鈥� Elmore Medical Center, Mountain Home

鈥�    Nov 19 鈥� Steele Memorial Hospital 鈥� Salmon  

Funding for the sessions is provided by a federal grant administered by the Idaho Bureau of Homeland Security. The goal is to help state and local agencies enhance their ability to respond to chemical, biological and nuclear incidents鈥� whether accidental or an act of terrorism.

Since the grant鈥檚 inception in 2003, ISU-Boise鈥檚 Institute of Emergency Management has arranged training for more than 17,000 of the state鈥檚 first responders. To find out more about training opportunities, contact IEM training coordinator Ellen Jones at 208-373-1760 or visit http://www.isu.edu/idiem/.