An Analysis of Civil Engineer Officer Contingency Training

The primary objective of this research was to investigate the current overall civil engineer officer contingency training program and determine if civil engineer officers think it is adequately preparing them to perform in a contingency environment. In accomplishing this objective, this research explored the perceptions that officers have about the contingency training that is available through three primary training programs (Home Station Training, Silver Flag training, and Civil Engineer and Services School training). The overall intent of the author was to gauge how the officers feel about their contingency training and offer some suggestions on how to improve the training. To collect data pertinent to this research, a web-based survey was developed and civil engineer (CE) officers were asked to provide answers to demographic and training perception statements. The results from this study show that from an overall perspective CE officer training is adequately preparing them to perform in a contingency environment. However, the results also indicate that there are several areas where improvements could be made to make the program even better. These improvements range from allowing more officers to attend Silver Flag training to introducing an additional contingency training course.