BOP Program Statement 5337.01 § 7

There are three levels of CST Training: Institutional CST Training, Basic CST Training, and

Advanced CST Training.

a. Institutional CST Training. To maintain exceptional standards of performance,

Institutional Training is required for 8 hours monthly. These hours can be completed in one

block or spread across the month as needed. Participation in Institutional CST Training is

mandatory for all CST members. Members who miss more than 16 hours within one year will

have their name referred to the CEO for possible removal from the team. The CEO should take

into consideration the team member’s overall CST performance, the reason for absences, and the

overall staffing levels within the team member’s department. Institution Team Leaders are

responsible for maintaining attendance and training records for all training. Training topics must

reflect Stress First Aid, Psychological First Aid, crisis management concepts and practices,

and/or recent activations. Up to half of the yearly training hours can be used for support

activities such as walking and talking and other staff and family engagement activities. Team

Leaders are encouraged to use external resources to supplement training. This may include, but

is not limited to the following:

■ Other Crisis Management Components

■ Community First Responders

■ Mental Health Specialists

■ CST from nearby institutions

■ Regional CST

b. Basic CST Training. Basic CST Training is required for certification of all CST members.

All CST members must complete 24 hours of Basic CST Training Curriculum, taught by

certified instructors. Typically, this training is provided at the Management & Specialty

Training Center, but may be held at other sites, with approval.

c. Advanced CST Training. Advanced CST is Training for Trainers (T4T). The curriculum

P5337.01 4/4/2023 7

focuses on teaching participants how to instruct the Basic CST Training course. Once certified,

these trainers will then conduct future Basic and Advanced CST trainings. The T4T has a 24-hour curriculum that must be completed for participants to be a certified CST Instructor.

Participants must be nominated by their Regional Director, through their Warden. They are

selected by the Central Office CST Coordinator, who is also responsible for ensuring enough

certified instructors are available to conduct Basic and Advanced CST courses. All Advanced

CST Training must be conducted by the Central Office CST Coordinator and certified CST

Instructors. To be eligible for Advanced CST Training, members must successfully complete the

following:

■ Basic CST Training

■ Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) online National Incident Management

System courses: ICS 100, 200, 700, and 800

■ 2 years on the Institution CST Team

Regional CST Leaders will be required to complete Basic CST, Advanced CST, and all required

FEMA (ICS) courses.