BDLS® is targeted to multiple disciplines including: emergency medical service (EMS) personnel, hazardous materials personnel, public health personnel, and health care providers. By teaching multiple disciplines simultaneously, a commonality of approach and language will develop, improving the care and coordination of response in WMD disaster and public health emergencies.
The instructor-led presentation of BDLS® is a day long course approved for 7.5 hrs of category 1 PRA by the American Medical Association. The curricula includes: overview and disaster paradigm; natural and manmade disasters; traumatic and explosive events; nuclear and radiological weapon attacks; biological events; chemical events; the public health system and the psychosocial aspects of disasters.
Certification in BDLS® requires full course completion and achievement of a passing score on the competency exam. To maintain these credentials, renewal training is required every three years.
BDLS® is the didactic component of the national disaster life support training. The BDLS® curriculum is developed with an all-hazards approach (recognition and management) to disaster response. Individual chapters remain cohesive by the incorporation of a unifying algorithm called the DISASTER Paradigm™. Also, the concepts of MASS Triage™. Those completing the BDLS® didactic course can then participate in ADLS™.