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Illinois begins emergency preparedness training for colleges and
universities
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[October 09, 2007]
SPRINGFIELD
-- Last week Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich announced a series of training
sessions for administrators and first responders to ensure Illinois'
college campuses are well prepared for emergencies. The governor's
Campus Security Task Force, in conjunction with the Illinois
Terrorism Task Force, will have training sessions around the state
that are designed to give college and university administrators,
emergency planning and security personnel, and mental health
professionals tools to respond to a wide variety of crisis
situations, ranging from natural disasters to violent incidents on
campus.
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 "Tragedies like Virginia Tech make it clear that
college campuses need immediate, effective emergency action plans to
protect students and staff. These trainings are designed to improve
strategies on campuses where they are already in place and help
schools without response plans implement them as quickly as
possible. This type of preparation saves lives, and we want to make
sure our schools have every resource available to them," Blagojevich
said.The college hazard training was developed by the Campus
Security Task Force, which was created by Blagojevich as part of a
comprehensive college security initiative he announced in April to
ensure the safety of students, staff and visitors at Illinois
colleges. That initiative also included providing more than 300
Starcom 21 radios to nearly 70 college campus security forces
throughout Illinois. Distribution of those radios and training on
how to use them was completed in September. The governor also
directed the appointment of the Illinois Board of Higher Education,
the Illinois Community College Board and the Illinois Campus Law
Enforcement Administrators to the Illinois Terrorism Task Force to
provide more insight into the security issues and incidence response
requirements unique to college campuses.
"I am proud that our diverse partners on the governor's Campus
Security Task Force, including first response, academic and mental
health leaders, and the attorney general 's
office, have designed and implemented this advanced training program
for campus security since its recent establishment on June 21, 2007
-- only three months ago," said Col. Jill Morgenthaler, the
governor's deputy chief of staff for public safety. " The task
force's efforts are ongoing, and in a short time we will provide
comprehensive, formal guidance to all Illinois campuses that will
make them better prepared and more secure."
"These regional meetings will assist participants in planning for
natural disasters, technological hazards and man-made catastrophic
events, such as the tragedy at Virginia Tech that inspired the
creation of the task force," said Carrie Hightman, chairwoman of the
Illinois Board of Higher Education. "These training sessions are a
tangible outgrowth of the work of the task force, and we commend the
governor's office, the state agencies involved and institutions for
their hard work -- and all the effort they will expend in the future
-- in making these valuable opportunities available."
More than 184 Illinois schools, including public universities,
community colleges, and for-profit and not-for-profit private
institutions, are invited to learn from experts in hazard management
and emergency preparedness. Trainers will include Ronald Ellis, a
retired inspector with the Illinois State Police; Keith Gehrand, a
retired police officer at Illinois State University; and Rod Ogilvie,
a professional counselor.
The first training session is today (Tuesday) in Springfield,
with sessions continuing around the state throughout October and
November. The training sessions are designed to be accessible to
schools in every region of Illinois.
Information regarding the training sessions follows. Registration
forms and additional information can be found at
www.ibhe.org.
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General information
Dates: Oct. 9, 16, 29, Nov. 6, 27
Time: 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Registration cost: Free
Speakers:
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Ronald Ellis, program
director; Illinois K-12 all-hazards trainer; retired inspector,
Illinois State Police
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Keith Gehrand, lead
instructor; IEMA-certified instructor; retired from Illinois
State University Police
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Rod Ogilvie,
professional counselor; specialized training in critical
incident stress management
Regional training sessions
Session 1: Oct. 9
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Region: Central
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Location: State
Emergency Operations Center, 2200 S. Dirksen, Springfield
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Room: SEOC
Multi-Purpose Room, downstairs
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Maximum enrollment:
100
Session 2: Oct. 16
Session 3: Oct. 29
Session 4: Nov. 6
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Region: Northern B
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Location: Elgin
Community College, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin
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Room: Fox Valley
University and Business Center
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Maximum enrollment:
100
[Text from file received from
the
Illinois Office of
Communication and Information]
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