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| Emergency Management |
To view our 2009 Workshop Catalog, click here
To view a two-page, four-color brochure, click here |
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Introduction
As we have recently seen through the devastation caused by hurricanes, torrential rains, wild fires, earthquakes, and tornadoes; as well as accidents and acts of terrorism; that no matter who you are, you have got to be prepared. Emergency Management is commonly practiced at the local, county, state, and federal level. However, it is rarely practiced at the business entity or organization level – other than by large corporations. Even where Emergency Management Systems are implemented, their efforts many times fall short in the midst of a crisis because they have not properly prepared themselves by developing plans, exercising those plans, correcting mistakes, and training all those involved in a potential event. The University of Findlay's School for Environmental and Emergency Management (SEEM) offers a series of education, training, and consulting services to meet this critical preparedness need.
Developing a Crisis Response Plan
SEEM will utilize experienced staff to assist you in designing a customized Crisis Response, Emergency Preparedness, or similar plan. SEEM approaches preparedness from an All Hazards perspective, thereby assuring that you are prepared for natural disasters, accidents and man-made threats such as terrorism. All aspects including prevention, preparation, response and recovery will be thoroughly reviewed. Plans can be designed for Private Sector clients (large or small) as well as public entities representing cities, counties, regions, etc. The planning process will generally include: assessing areas of vulnerability, reviewing existing procedures, designing appropriate protocols, and training and exercising.
This service includes a 2-day course teaching the participants how to develop their own Crisis Response Plan, as well as a consulting service to assist organizations in developing a customized plan.
Exercise Development and Facilitation
SEEM has been incorporating exercises into customized training programs for many years, as a tool for trainees to practice newly learned skills in a hands-on environment. We have expanded our exercise capabilities to include: designing and conducting table tops, functional and full-scale exercises; as well as creating video scenarios that are incorporated into our exercise efforts for law enforcement and security training programs.
Exercises provide a venue which will test how well your personnel respond to an incident and how well they understand your emergency operations plans and standard operating procedures. We have experience in developing scenarios for hospitals, emergency management agencies, law enforcement, and hazardous materials response teams, to name a few. Our knowledgeable and experienced staff can produce an exercise designed to meet your needs.
SEEM is ready to assist you in developing and conducting your next exercise. Whether you need help in the design phase, execution phase or simply need assistance in evaluating your performance or creating an After-Action Report, we can help.
Master’s Level Certificate in Emergency Management
For those wishing to participate through an academic process, SEEM offers a Master’s Level Certificate in Emergency Management. Available online, students take 5 courses in such topics as Business Recovery, Vulnerability Assessment Crisis Communications, Asset Protection, and Risk management. Upon completion, the student receives a Certificate in Emergency Management, as well as approximately 15 hours of academic credit at the Master's level.
| | Emergency Management Project Summaries | | Emergency Preparedness and Response to WMD Training | | In a rapid-turnaround fashion, SEEM developed and delivered a State-wide program involving a series of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) training classes for Emergency Medical Service (EMS) providers. The State Department of Public Safety sponsored the training through grant funding. The grant was part of an initial release of Federal Homeland Security funds. The purpose of the program was to provide relevant training to potential First Responders who might have to deal with issues of WMD. A secondary benefit was to provide pertinent Continuing Education Hours for annual recertification of EMS providers in the State. This was a fast-track program which began in March 2002 and ended in September 2002. The courses include WMD Awareness, Operations, and Technician Level training. The classes were provided to EMS entities at more than 40 local venues around the state and at times convenient to the trainees. The program served more than 1,200 individuals. | | Emergency Response and Incident Command Training | | UF custom designs original Emergency Response and Incident Command training for an international chemical manufacturer at one of their facilities in Michigan. The company was pleased with The University of Findlay’s flexibility and ability to arrange courses specific to their needs such as specialty procedures for dealing with rail car emergency response and product transfer. Over 120 trainees have undergone these specific courses, and have continued to return for annual refreshers for the past five years. | | Emergency Response Training | | For almost ten years, SEEM developed and delivered a customized training program to meet the requirements of a major national motor freight carrier’s company-specific spill protocols as well as industry standards and government regulations. SEEM’s training teams provided hazardous material emergency response training to more than 2,000 client terminal employees each year at 47 U.S. terminals, in 29 different states. The training was conducted for dock workers and supervisors, as well as garage personnel and dispatchers. Managers were provided with incident command training that was developed around the client’s own Emergency Operations Plan. The purpose of the training was to reduce the "down time" on the docks when a spill of chemical or other potential hazardous materials occurred, and also to reduce the cost of calling in a professional cleanup contractor. The trainees learned how to determine how critical a spill was, and if they could safely clean it up themselves. All participants were trained on the proper cleanup and disposal protocol to follow when the client cleaned up their own dock spills. | | Emergency Response Training | | SEEM delivered a customized training program for a confidential Michigan chemical manufacturer that provides OSHA HaZwoper Technician Level training in accordance with the company’s standard operating procedures and emergency response plans. The training is for approximately 50+ participants, and is held at SEEM’s Environmental Resource Training Center in Findlay, Ohio. The training consists of both classroom and hands-on experiences including mock emergency responses to potential incidents that could occur at this facility. | | Emergency Response Training | | SEEM has developed and delivered a series of hazardous materials-oriented emergency response courses to volunteer firefighters and other public first responders throughout Ohio. These courses are funded by a grant from The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO). Courses include Awareness, Operations, and Technician-level Emergency Response, as well as Incident Command and Emergency Response Refresher, and a specialized Emergency Response to Rail Car and Emergency Transfer Course. The delivery format has been unique in that classes are taught in the evenings and on weekends at the firefighters’ locations. To date over 3,950 volunteer firefighters and public first responders have been trained through over 250 different class offerings at more than 100 locations throughout Ohio. | | Emergency Response, Environmental and OSHA Safety Training | | SEEM developed and continues to deliver a series of environmental, health and safety, emergency response, incident command and industrial/corporate security courses for one of the Big-Three U.S. auto manufacturers. SEEM training teams have trained approximately 3,000 client personnel annually at more than 30 facilities throughout Michigan and Ohio, as well as other states in the Midwest Northeast, and Southeast. SEEM develops the training programs using the company’s specific practices, SOP’s, Spill Control and Countermeasure Plans and other industry and plant standards. The purpose of the training is to reduce hazardous materials spills, improve overall company compliance with various environmental and OSHA Regulations, and make the corporation a better "corporate citizen". Additionally, SEEM has been an active planner and participant in the firm’s annual Emergency Response Team (ERT) "Challenge", where ER Teams from various plants come to compete in mock drills that test their knowledge and expertise in applying the training principles to real-life emergency situations. | | Emergency Response, OSHA Safety and DOT Safety Training | | Over the past 6+ years SEEM has designed and delivered training services for the Occupational Safety & Environmental Health department of a major state-supported university in the Upper Midwest. The program relates to university emergency response team (Technician-Level), annual ER Refresher, OSHA Hazardous Waste Site Worker, Incident Command and DOT training requirements. SEEM conducts this training on an annual basis in order to sharpen the skills of its campus response teams. The training is provided at the client’s campus, where spill response and emergency scenarios are customized to their facilities, organizational structure, potential risks, department of public safety needs and university power plant requirements. To date, over 1,100 certificates have been issued for successful completion of training through the offering of 70 individual classes to University employees. | | Emergency Response, OSHA Safety and DOT Safety Training for a Major University in Michigan | | | Emergency Response, Rail Car Response, Incident Command and OSHA Safety Training | | UF designs and delivers a customized training program for one of the major oil and gas producers in the U.S. This customized program satisfies regulatory compliance, updates employees responsible care awareness, encourages employee safety and the protection of the environment, updates requirements for transporters of hazardous materials, and minimizes downtime. To date, The University of Findlay has trained a total of 650 employees throughout Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Tennessee, and Texas. An example of a typical training program might include the following classes: OSHA 40-Hour Hazardous Site Worker, Awareness, Operations and Technician Levels of Emergency Response for Terminals & Transport, Emergency Response for Pipeline Operations, Emergency Response for Off-Shore Drilling Operations, Incident Commander, and Rail and Tank Car Specialist. The Program is designed in accordance with the company’s facility response plans and other site or client specific protocols. The on-location training consists of both classroom and hands-on experiences, including mock emergency responses to a variety of incidents. | | Mass Casualty Incident Management | | SEEM developed a two-day workshop to evaluate the preparedness of a major university in Michigan’s emergency response group, including: the management of the emergency operations center/communications, including; possible involvement from other university departments, local law enforcement, fire and EMS. This course is designed to have participants fill an active role in a simulated incident at the university’s football stadium. A full scale table-top and hands on scenario will allow participants to practice crowd control, have an understanding of crowd dynamics, mass casualty decontamination including emergency, corridor, and hospital decontamination systems used in large scale incidents. Day two of the workshop consists of an open discussion, debrief and critique session of the practiced drill. The purpose of this discussion was to measure the effectiveness of current emergency plans and procedures. Other special topics included an overview of response to terrorism involving chemical, radiological, biological, or explosives devices and a specialized demonstration on hydrant caps. This course was delivered initially to approximately 50 participants for the purpose of testing and practicing the University’s Unified Command System. | | National Incident Management System and Mass Casualty Decontamination Training | | SEEM developed a two-day workshop for both the city and county Health Departments that was tailored to meet the specific needs of each department. More than twenty nurses, doctors, sanitarians, commissioners, inspectors and general staff participated. Topics covered in day one centered on practical exercises, review of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and evaluating internal and external capabilities. Day Two focused on respiratory protection, personal protective equipment (PPE) and hands-on exercises involving a mass casualty incident requiring Level C protection and communications with other agencies and first responders. The City and County Health Department conducted the training in order to be more prepared for a potential terrorist attack. An advanced program is currently in the planning stages. | | OSHA Safety and Emergency Response Train-the-Trainer | | SEEM developed and presented Train-the-Trainer programs in accordance with OSHA Hazardous Waste Site Worker and Emergency Response training requirements as well as corporate policies for a Fortune 100 international food products and derivatives manufacturer. In addition, a series of Annual Refreshers were provided at the HaZwoper Operations through Incident Command Level for the firm’s Environmental, Safety and Health personnel from several U.S. facilities. | | School Threat Assessment Management Training and Program Implementation | | SEEM custom designed a school district wide Threat Assessment Management Training Program that was developed and implemented over a two-year period. The program consisted of four main phases: Phase I Identifying Threats Phase II Crisis Response Phase III Crisis Recovery Phase IV Test the Plan (Tabletop Exercise) The desired outcome of the program was a Threat Management Team that would be better prepared to identify threats before an incident occurs. Approximately 25 school officials received this intensive training. Over the course of the project, the school district’s internal plans were updated and improved. The tabletop exercise resulted in an After Action Report that includes a Corrective Action Plan that discusses potential weaknesses in the plan and prescribes appropriate actions that will be taken within a specified time to address and correct the weakness and improve the overall preparedness of the district. | | Update of County Emergency Operations Plan | | SEEM has assisted several Midwest counties in reviewing and updating the "All-Hazards" Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) as required by the State EMA. SEEM organized and conducted a series of public meetings and work sessions to update the plan. Special emphasis was placed on the Terrorism, Hazardous Materials and Medical sections. The EOP was updated in accordance with guidance documents approved and published by the State EMA. | | Webcast – Emergency response to Chlorine Leak from a Rail Car | | On May 17th, 2005, SEEM conducted the first in a series of live, interactive Webcast training scenarios, which are “broadcast” live over the Internet. This approach is excellent for bringing people from various levels from multiple locations together to participate in an integrated exercise, as it eliminates the need for everyone to travel to the same location, as all they need to do is watch on their computer. Since the Webcasts are interactive, trainees can answer questions or ask questions on-line while the event is taking place. In addition, the trainees can even help decide (through a polling of all the participants) what should be done next in the scenario. Pre tests, post tests, and trainee evaluations are also easy to administer and control. The Webcasts can also be archived for future use.
The first Webcast was primarily a pilot, and dealt with a Chlorine leak from a railcar. The focus was on the response made by the First Responder Community – primarily police, fire and EMS. The scenario included a victim who needed decontaminate and transported to the hospital. It also involved a HazMat team responding to fix the leaking rail car. Local industry shelter-in-place and police barricades were also utilized. Various pre-recorded video segments dealt with such topics as: what are the health effects of Chlorine; what is the appropriate safety equipment to wear to respond to a Chlorine incident; how the victim would be treated once he reached the hospital; and how the various Chlorine repair kits work, and when to utilize them. The audience was asked to response to various questions including when to rescue the victim – when the firefighters first responded, or wait until the Hazmat Team arrives with more appropriate protective equipment. You can view an archived version of this Webcast at http://seem.findlay.edu/webcasts/ |
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