Lesson 1: Overview of environmental health principles

This emergency preparedness training builds on your day-to-day skills as an EH professional by describing how to operate in different emergency situations, and how you fit into the bigger picture of emergency preparedness and response.

This lesson presents an overview of environmental health principles in the context of disaster preparedness and response. It reviews the basic principles of environmental health and the skills you need to work in this field. It defines a disaster and introduces a cause of disease model.

After you complete this lesson, you will be able to:

• Describe the basic principles of environmental health (EH).
• Interpret the cause-of-disease model.
• Recognize your skills and tools as an EH professional.
• Distinguish between different types of disasters.
• Identify your role in responding to a disaster.

This lesson will take about 25 minutes to complete.