Posted: July 16, 2007 1:39:50 PM PDT
Bellingham Fire Chief Bill Boyd announced today that City of Bellingham officials have been accepted to participate in emergency management training at the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) prestigious Emergency Management Institute, an opportunity only offered to a few municipalities each year.
The "Integrated Emergency Management Course" is an intense comprehensive course that places public officials, key community agency representatives, and emergency response personnel in a realistic disaster response environment, exposing them to operating in a realistic Emergency Operations Center setting under high stress, and learn how to work together to resolve crisis situations. The course stresses the integration of key community resources and individuals in dealing with all phases of disaster response.
Boyd, who serves as the city's Emergency Management Director, said being accepted into this program meets a long-term goal of city officials.
"We have been working toward receiving this invitation ever since the tragic Olympic Pipeline explosion in 1999," he said. "It is a very competitive process among communities, made even more so by the increased awareness to better prepare our communities. It is a great opportunity to strenghten relationships with key community partners that we would work with in a disaster."
Boyd said approximately 70 people will be invited to participate in the training, which will take place in Emmitsburg, Maryland in August, 2008. All travel and most housing costs are reimbursed by FEMA, he said. Approximately three months prior to the course FEMA officials will conduct a site visit to Bellingham to gather specific information about the city to orient participants and develop a realistic exercise scenario for the training.
In addition to key City of Bellingham staff and elected officials, Boyd said representatives from other local organizations and governments will be invited to attend, including representatives from Western Washington University, Whatcom County, Puget Sound Energy, American Red Cross, and others.
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Media Contact:
Bill Boyd, Bellingham Fire Chief/Emergency Management Director
360-676-6831
bboyd@cob.org
