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FAQs
CERTIFICATE FAQS
How Long Will It Take to Receive my Certificate?
Our normal turnaround time for you to receive your certificate is 48 hours.
Who Issues In Person and Virtual Instructor Lead Course Certificates?
In Person and Online course certificates are issued by either one of our partner states or Colorado. The Blue Cell works with multiple State Training Officers where we have ongoing contracts and relationships (Kansas, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Iowa). When we do a course for those State Training Officers, those States issue an official certificate with the appropriate seals and signatures as the authorized FEMA entity.
The majority of our virtual courses are conducted from our broadcast location in Colorado. The State Training Officer for the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management has vetted all of our, policies and practices. In several States we now also offer hybrid courses Both in person and virtual students together broadcast from classrooms and training rooms in the "field".
The Blue Cell does NOT issue "G", "ICS" or "L" Certificates. Please see below and example of the typical certificate that is conveyed.
What States Have Issued Certificates for The Blue Cell Courses?
In our 17 years of business, the following states have issued certificates for The Blue Cell Courses:
Alaska, Arizona Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, West Virginia, Wyoming.
What States Have Students Taken Our Classes From and Have Had No Issue With Regards to Acceptance of the Certificate They Received?
We have had students take our courses from all 50 States, 5 US Territories and 17 countries:
What Other Entities Issue Certificates on Behalf of Courses Taught by The Blue Cell?
Other entities that issue certificates on behalf of courses taught by The Blue Cell include:
The Colorado Wildfire and Incident Management Academy (NWCG)
Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program (CSEPP)
FOR ALTERNATE CERTIFICATE INQUIRIES EMAIL ZACHMANNS@THEBLUECELL.COM
Does My State Certificate Get Sent into The FEMA System/Transcript ?
FEMA authorizes the States to provide NIMS courses within their jurisdictions. States are required to follow FEMA guidance and curriculum. All certificates come from the state entity responsible for the approval of these courses, and their certificates are recognized by FEMA. Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM) is the official issuing entity for Colorado certificates. Upon verification of completion of a course, DHSEM directly issues the certificates to students through Colorado's transcript system TRAIN.org. No States have access to upload course certificates into FEMA/EMI's transcript system, and FEMA/EMI does not maintain copies in any format of State issued certificates.
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Frequently Asked Questions
The Blue Cell also has the ability to provide the certificate below. To clarify, this is a certificate of successfully passing the stated course requirements. Certification acceptance is still up to certifying bodies at the Local, Tribal, State and Federal level
Purchasing, Refund & Cancellation FAQs
Does The Blue Cell Offer Any Discounts?
The Blue Cell offers special discounts and pricing on private session group buyouts. To inquire about a buyout, contact Jill Filer at jillfiler@thebluecell.com. We also offer other discount codes frequently - simply subscribe to our newsletter to receive the insider information!
Can I get a refund if I am told by anyone that the Colorado Certificate or NWCG Certificate is somehow not accepted?
NEW POLICY (03/26/26) A refund is possible, after supplying the State, Agency and or Individual acting in an official capacity when making the statements full contact information, in writing for follow-up. Failure to do so will automatically place the refund request into a store credit posture good for up to 365 days.
If an audio or video recording of official misconduct with regards to false statements about our company, practices and particularly certificates is made by any government official in any State the student obtaining and providing the information is encouraged to come forward and provide such information which will be forwarded to the Colorado Attorney General's Office and the Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General for investigative follow up.
How Do Refunds and Cancellation Work?
Refund requests and cancellations made via email up to 5 days before the course start date are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. We will attempt to re-schedule the participant into another session. (For up to 6 months). If an accommodation cannot be made, a full refund will be granted. Refund requests after the 5-day window of a course start date will follow the same process of attempted re-schedule, however if an accommodation cannot be made,norefund will be granted.
After Purchasing a Course, When Will I Receive Information on my Course Delivery?
After purchasing a course, you will receive information regarding your course delivery approximately 5 days prior to your course start date. The email will include information regarding course materials, the course link and additional information.
Company FAQs
What is The Blue Cell Team?
Over time, the creators of The Blue Cell Ready Team and the Bravo Charlie Ready envisioned three things in this concept:
- Institutionalizing as many aspects of the Incident Command System / NIMS and Organizational Leadership into the functioning of this community
- Focusing the effort of sharing information and tools with the professionals and practitioners who value such effort and believe in ICS /NIMS and its proper application
- Using doctrine and lessons learned to get better from one incident, course or exercise to next to always seek improvement in the vocation of being an ICS advocate.
To be invited to the team’s monthly resource sharing and FREE tools and capabilities you must be a previous Blue Cell student or have participated in a Blue Cell exercise.
What Key Entities and Agencies Have Taken Online Classes like ICS 300 and ICS 400 from The Blue Cell?
The Blue Cell has trained more than 10,000 students virtually from across the United States, Canada, UK, and IAEM members from around the globe. Some key entities and agencies that have participated in virtual instructor lead classes such as ICS 300 and ICS 400 (and exercises) from The Blue Cell are:
- FEMA (yes, you read that correctly )
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security
- Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency
- NOAA
- Bureau of Land Management
- Los Alamos National Laboratory
- Argonne National Laboratory
- Civil Air Patrol
- National Park Service
- U.S. Department of Agricultural
- U.S. Forest Service
- U.S. Fish & Wildlife
- Department of the Interior
- Department of War (formally DOD) and DOJ/FBI
- The US National Capital Police
- NASA
- NGOs
- Hospitals
- Major Airports
- Numerous State entities
- Private sector companies to include the Fortune 10
- Generals
- A former FEMA director
- A sitting Governor
What Makes The Blue Cell Different From Other Training Entities?
What makes The Blue Cell different from other training entities is our industry-expertise and knowledgeable trainers. We take pride in being the premier emergency and disaster management training company in the US. Our trainers are highly experienced in real world situations, from national incidents and planned events to creating the most up to date information for discussion while instructing your agency, department, or company.
Why Should You Consider Online Training for Your Management Response Needs?
Online training can meet a variety of management response needs for large departments, small businesses, department or the solo volunteer to meet their training requirements.
- Online emergency management courses save money and time.
- The Blue Cell offers online weekend classes so even the busiest professional can fit these required classes into their schedule.
- Given the global pandemic, The Blue Cell's online classes allow training to continue safely.
Who Can Benefit From The Blue Cell's Courses?
The Blue Cell offers a variety of training and exercises that benefit basically anyone! We have participants from private, government, and volunteer sectors and we have had attendees in the following professions: Firefighting, Law Enforcement, EMS, Hospitals, Health Departments, Energy/Utility Companies, Airports, Private Security Companies and Volunteer Organizations to include Team Rubicon, United Way, Salvation Army and Red Cross. With our vast course catalog, there is a class for you.
Try Our Most Popular Courses:
Aside From Online/Virtual Emergency and Disaster Management Classes, What Other Products Do You Offer?
In addition to our online Emergency and Disaster Management Classes, we have created traditional exercises where we bring our professionals to your location or you may bring your team to The Blue Cell's Integrated Training Center to discover that the best way to learn is hands on and face to face. We also offer online self-paced courses. Our course catalog includes courses relevant to many disciplines including crisis management, active shooter courses, emergency leadership, planning and management, homeland security exercise evaluation program, HSEEP, leadership crisis, public health emergency management, safety management, risk and disaster management, and workplace violence training. See more courses here.
FEMA-Related Frequently Asked Questions on Training and Certifications
For FEMA-related FAQs, visit: https://training.fema.gov/is/isfaq.aspx
What is TaaS?
TaaS stands for Training as a Service and makes scheduling and coordination in training easy!
The traditional way of coordinating training can be time consuming, costly, and so times unsuccessful. These packages consist of virtual instructor led training (VILT), self-paced learning management systems (LMS) and uniquely designed self-serve exercise products and more. Upon signing of the agreement the agency has 12 months to have its students complete the class after which time the seats are forfeit.
