The Department Operations Center (DOC):
Basic Training for California Health Departments

How to Use This Online Course

You have been given access to The Department Operations Center (DOC): Basic Training for California Health Departments online course because you may be called to serve in your health department’s DOC during an emergency. Taking this online course will help you develop the knowledge and skills you need to work within the Incident Command System for managing or responding to all-hazards emergencies. This online course can serve as a stand-alone training or as part of preparation for a functional or full-scale exercise.

Introduction

Before you take this course, read the Introduction for an overview of the course. The Introduction describes the course’s components and identifies the objectives for each module. Each module builds on the information contained in the previous module. Although not a requirement, it is recommended that you complete each of the modules sequentially.

Modules

This course is self-paced, so you may take it all at once or complete it in several sessions. If you choose to take the course in one sitting, including the final exam, allow approximately three hours. Each of the modules is divided into objectives. The approximate length of time to complete each objective is provided to help you manage your time.

This course also allows you to work through one or two modules at a time. You may “pause” the course at any time. To do so, simply click the Pause icon at the bottom, left-hand corner of the screen. Pausing allows you to return to your module at any time exactly where you left.

To begin a module, simply click on the module of your choice in the navigation bar near the top of the screen.

Closed Captioning

This course features voice audio and music audio, but these are not required to complete the course. Closed captioning is provided to allow those who are deaf or hard of hearing to read the course’s audio content. (Closed captioning for this course does not include words or symbols to indicate music.) You may activate closed captioning by clicking on the “CC” icon at the bottom, right-hand corner of the screen.

Resources

The documents included in this section serve as examples of useful tools various California health departments have developed to assist them in managing or responding to emergencies, using the Incident Command System.

When you reach a Resources screen in a module, go to the navigation bar near the top of the page and click on the Resources tab. This tab will take you to all the resources that have been included in this online course. To review the resources associated with the module you are in, simply click on the document’s title.

Final Exam

You must finish each of the four modules and pass the final exam with a score of at least 80 percent. You may take the final exam, which consists of 30 multiple-choice questions, as many times as needed to reach a passing score.