Following recent armed attacks against religious and public institutions in the U.S., including attacks at synagogues, churches, schools, and colleges, Magen David Adom, Israel’s national EMS service, will be conducting terrorism- and emergency-response training for civilians from Monday, July 15, through Wednesday, July 17 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The training is sponsored by Milwaukee Jewish Federation.

The instruction, known as First 7 Minutes training, will teach course participants how to remain safe amid the chaos of a violent incident and how, in the immediate aftermath of an attack, to render critical first aid and other assistance in the seven minutes it typically takes first responders to arrive.

Much of the training, including the first-aid instruction and emphasis on safety and needs prioritization, is also applicable to other emergency situations, such as building collapses, fires, and natural disasters, providing course participants with skills and a sense of empowerment critical in a variety of situations.

Because of the sheer number of terrorist incidents Magen David Adom has seen in Israel and its role in developing new protocols for responding to attacks, the organization has emerged as the most experienced mass-casualty response organization in the world.

While MDA has conducted terrorism-response seminars to EMS and first-responder professionals in the United States, this marks the first time Magen David Adom has offered training for civilians in the U.S.

While the inaugural training sessions will be conducted in Milwaukee, the program will be rolled out across the U.S. to virtually any community where institutions fear being targeted for attack.