FLAGSTAFF, AZ--Ask any emergency manager and he or she will tell you that coordination and communication are the two most important things in any emergency response. As it so happens, they’re also the two skills that require the most practice.

PHOENIX, AZ--Wooden crates and metal cages full of personal protective equipment (PPE) meet National Emergency Response and Rescue Training Center (NERRTC) instructor Billy Rhoads wherever he goes, which this month included a trip to the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs (DEMA) in Phoenix.

BUCKEYE, AZ--It was spring break in the Buckeye Union High School District two weeks ago, which means there were no classes at Youngker High School in Buckeye, Ariz. But that doesn’t mean no one on campus was learning.