Radiation Safety - Overview for Environmental Professionals: This half-day introductory training course focuses on providing participants with an overview and basic understanding of the fundamental principles of radiation safety. This course is intended for environmental professionals who desire a basic knowledge and understanding of radiation safety. Participants who are responsible for reviewing and discussing radiological issues will also benefit from this course. By taking the course, participants will achieve the following objectives:

• Understand basic terminology and fundamental principles of radiation - this course will discuss the three basic particles of an atom, explain chemical notation, define radioactivity, explain the radioactive decay process, and explain how to calculate activity and half-life
• Identify the three primary types of ionizing radiation and their characteristics - this course will discuss the basic types of ionization radiation, distinguish between ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, and discuss the characteristics of ionizing radiation and how it interacts with matter
• Identify radiation dose limits and explain basic methods to control exposures - this course will identify radiation exposure limits for occupational workers, and discuss EPA’s Administrative Control Level and Action Reference Level as defined in Safety, Health and Environmental Management Program (SHEMP) Guide 38
• Understand the biological effects of radiation - this course will discuss possible biological effects of ionizing radiation on human cells, acute and chronic dose effects, and sources of radiation exposure

Instructional methods for this course include lecture, class discussion, and demonstrations. The target audience for this course is RPMs with little or no experience in radiation.

Be Prepared: Advanced Spokesperson and Media Training is an 8-hour course for EPA RPMs. “What you say” and “how you say it” are the critical components in ensuring that accurate information about your Superfund site is presented to the news media, community groups, the concerned public, and other organizations. This course is designed to give participants the confidence they need to explain their work and speak about tough issues.

Participants learn the following:

• How news media operate
• How to prepare for interviews or public speaking engagements
• How to craft organizational or technical messages
• How to deliver those messages effectively — even during a crisis

This highly interactive course also features the following:

• Customized scenarios relevant to each participant’s program interests or projects
• One-on-one videotaped sessions with professional interviewers
• A group training exercise
• Case studies that demonstrate how to succeed during interviews

Each participant receives a spokesperson and media training manual at the conclusion of the course. The course is limited to 12 participants who must commit to attend the workshop at the 2009 NARPM Training Conference. EPA RPMs receive priority during the registration process.

Please note: Participants are required to forward information about their jobs, interests, and projects to the instructor at least 3 weeks before of the workshop presentation. An e-mail reminder will be sent to each participant before the date of the training to explain and obtain all pre-training information.

How to Make Public Participation Work for You: This 8-hour training course will provide an in-depth look at how to use public participation to improve site planning and key decision-making. The course will examine public participation through a technical prism by engaging RPMs in a dialogue on the public participation principles that work and the key communication skills that are necessary to make them work.

The course will cover the basic elements of public participation in a way that will assure they are applied in ongoing and future projects. Interactive exercises and practical tips are used to enliven the basic theory and to reinforce skills that participants can put to immediate use. Relevant reference materials are presented throughout the day, along with stories and examples from Superfund sites. Participants are encouraged to add their insights and experiences and apply their current challenges to the discussion. In addition, participants will learn the elements needed to design a successful public participation program. They will also gain an understanding of the essentials of effective communication with the public.

At the conclusion of the course, participants will have learned:

• The necessary elements for a successful public participation program
• The role of the RPM in assuring those elements are put into place
• An understanding of the communication skills needed to support effective public participation
• An understanding of two-way communication models and how to share information and to elicit feedback
• An overview of public participation communication skills and techniques, including active listening and empathy, communicating technical information to a non-technical audience, managing hostile audiences, risk communication, cross-cultural communications, and media relations
• How to use appropriate communication skills, behaviors, and tools to support effective public participation

Mr. Doug Sarno, course instructor, is a civil engineer with more than 25 years experience in Superfund and environmental cleanup. He has devoted much of his career to improving environmental decision-making and effectively engaging diverse groups of stakeholders in complex and controversial decisions. The target audience for this course is all RPMs.

Interest Based Negotiation for Remedial Project Managers — You CAN Get What You NEED, an 8-hour training course, is designed to give RPMs the skills to effectively deal with the many disputes that arise in managing remedial activities. By taking the course, participants will achieve the following objectives:

• Learn the basics of Interest Based Negotiations as presented in the best-selling book, Getting to Yes (a copy will be provided to each participant)
• Learn how to discover what you and those you interact with need to successfully negotiate or collaborate and how to maximize your ability to reach an implementable solution
• Understand ways to decide who to involve in negotiations, what issues the group will be able to negotiate successfully, and when and how to retain a facilitator to assist with difficult discussions
• Practice important negotiation skills, such as active listening, questioning, and re-framing using case examples derived from more than 20 years of Superfund negotiations
• Learn about the spectrum of options for effectively conducting negotiations, including the fundamentals of Alternative Dispute Resolution

The Conflict Prevention and Resolution Center will draw on more than 20 years of case studies to illustrate the training. Sites such as Bunker Hill, McKin, Leadville, Hudson River, and numerous others will be used. The target audience for this course is both experienced and newer RPMs; experienced staff will have the opportunity to brush up on negotiation skills and see negotiations from a new vantage point, while newer professionals will get a solid foundation in negotiation practice and skills.

The instructional methodology for this course includes lecture, interactive case studies, and group exercises.

PC3: Post-Construction Completion Course is an 8-hour training course that covers important post-construction topics that RPMs and site managers need to understand and address. The course focuses on technical and administrative issues that RPMs encounter after a remedy is constructed, including:

1. Remedy management
2. The “operational and functional” determination
3. Remedy optimization
4. Remedy re-evaluation
5. The transition to operation and maintenance
6. Construction completion and site closeout
7. Five-year reviews
8. Site deletion

The course will include case studies, case examples, exercises, and opportunities for questions and answers. This course is an updated and expanded version of Planning and Implementing O&M presented at NARPM from 1997 to 2005. It is recommended for newer RPMs and site managers with 1 year or more of experience.

Project Management Seminar is an 8-hour training course designed for new and experienced project managers. The program is geared toward Superfund projects but draws on broadly applicable management principles and techniques. The course is designed to provide participants an overview of tools and concepts and where to gain more information on their detailed application.

Topics will include developmental leadership skills, project risk management techniques, management and tracking tools, project delivery analysis, assembling a project team, and communication techniques and skills.

The training course will employ video, lecture, and interactive discourse between instructors and participants.

Superfund Radiation Policy and Case Studies Panel Session: Within the Superfund remediation framework, radioactive contamination is addressed the same way as chemical contamination, except to account for technical differences. EPA's Superfund approach for addressing radionuclides differs from the approach used by other federal agencies under the Atomic Energy Act (such as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission or the Department of Energy). This half-day panel session begins with an overview of Superfund policy with respect to radionuclides, including setting cleanup standards, identification of ARARs, and risk assessment. This overview will be followed by four case studies that represent a variety of sites types where radionuclides are contaminants of concern and an overview presentation of radioactive transportation and waste disposal issues. The target audience for this panel session is RPMs working on or interested in sites with radioactive contamination.