PhilaU Connect - April 20, 2009

The Disaster Medicine and Management program of Philadelphia University is proud to invite the emergency management professional to an open session of a new series of on line presentations.

The PhilaU Connect Professional International Presentations is proud to announce our guest speaker from the Home Front Command, Israel Defense Force (IDF).

Title of presentation: International Rescue and Humanitarian Operations by the IDFLocation: Presentation will be via "Adobe Connect", on line. Log in details upon registration.

Date: April 20, 2009 at 1400 hours Eastern Time.

Instructions outlining how to join the PhilaU Connect will be sent via email prior to the event.

Certification: Each PhilaU Connect presentation will include a certificate of attendance emailed to the attendee.

Upcoming PhilaU Connect: Each month there will be a scheduled presentation either by PhilaU faculty or guest presenters which is open to the emergency responder community.

Questions or to register, please contact, Annette Solarski at solarskia@philau.edu.

Welcome Aaron Richman

The Disaster Medicine and Management Program is pleased to announce that Aaron Richman has joined the faculty as a fulltime Assistant Professor. Academically, Aaron Richman is in the final stages of completing a Ph.D. in public policy and homeland security and hold degrees in criminal justice (BA), and business administration (MBA). Practically (operationally), he comes from a career in military and law enforcement in the Middle East. After serving military tours in Israel, Professor Richman was recruited to the Central Command of the Israel National Police where he worked in various capacities at a command level to include narcotics, counter terrorism and special operations.

As Director of the Center for Special Operations Training located in Philadelphia, PA, Aaron established a statewide weapon of mass destruction program with the mission of preparing pre hospital and hospital care personnel in the proper responses to various threats. This program included preparing health care facilities in hospital incident command compliance as well as emergency response planning, exercising, and training.

He has partaken in numerous training events associated with emergency services and law enforcement, sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security as a consultant. Aaron instructs paramedics, law enforcement personnel, and civilians in mass casualty incidents, suicide bombers, and weapons of mass destruction.

Currently, as Co Director of the Institute of Terrorism Research and Response, he manages a number of international projects in the field of counterterrorism and emergency management to include programs sponsored by the European Union and NATO. The two separate research projects address emergency management and the response to a weapon of mass destruction incident for the European Union and NATO forces. In addition, Aaron is a lead instructor and curriculum developer for the Department of Homeland Security sponsored program, Prevention and Response to Suicide Bombing Incidents. He has developed curriculum for New Mexico Technical Institute in medical response to terrorist bombings as well as lectures on counter terrorism for the International Law Enforcement Academy.

Summary of Advanced Critical Incident Conference

During the conference that was held on March 24 and 25th at the University of Southern Connecticut, Aaron Richman, was the key note speaker on day 2. With an audience of approximately 140 participants, Richman lectured on the Israeli model relating to terror interdiction and response. The lecture included case studies of which Richman took part from Israel, both in a law enforcement and command capacities and addressed the strong dependency of law enforcement on private security in the defense of critical assets against terror attacks.

The conference program provided an interactive learning experience for teams of public and private first responders and was able to:

- Impart a deeper understanding of the problems and challenges presented by critical incident occurring in the most common types of high occupancy facilities
- Provide initial networking and encourage continued dialogue between public and private sector participants from the same community

Conference Objective: To conduct a program of advanced training for law enforcement and private security supervisors focused on the special problems and challenges of responding to and managing a critical incident in certain high occupancy facilities

Conference Background: High occupancy facilities, such as schools, hospitals, malls, arenas and high rise buildings, present special challenges to public safety responders when they are called upon to manage a critical incident occurring in such an environment. Because they offer the potential for mass casualties and real or symbolic disruption of a community or economic activity such facilities are attractive targets for terrorism. Neither basic police training nor generic critical incident training, however, addresses the special problems responders will face when confronted by a major critical incident in such a facility.

High occupancy facilities are likely to have their own security personnel who will be the actual first responders to any major emergency at those sites. Those private security personnel have valuable information, and can play a critical role in shaping the public safety emergency response to a critical incident. The extent of dialogue and cooperation between the public and private first responders may determine the overall success and effectiveness of the incident response. Despite the value of cooperation between the public and private sectors in time of such emergencies, historically there has been only limited interaction between the two sectors and only a limited understanding on the part of each of the resources and capabilities that each side brings to such situations.

Conference Curriculum: The format of the conference included lectures as well as various tabletop exercises. Participants were divided in mixed teams of public and private responders grouped to the fullest extent possible, by their respective communities. The teams cycled through a series of breakout groups and were called upon to manage table top responses to a critical incident scenario set in a complex high occupancy type facility. Each breakout session included a review of the Team’s response to the incident scenario and discussed the unique problems presented to incident response in such a facility. The scenarios utilized in the breakouts were jointly developed by law enforcement personnel and private security representatives from Connecticut Homeland Security Private Security Committee.

Plenary sessions were conducted before and between the breakout groups to reinforce essential concepts of critical incident management and to focus on topics which may transcend various types of large scale, complicated disaster or terrorist incident at a highly occupied facility. Such topics included:

- Initial organization – the first 20 minutes
- The role of the Chief Law Enforcement Executive in a major critical incident
- Managing the massive media response
- Evacuation consideration
- Special investigative issues in cases involving massive numbers of witnesses
- Planning and logistics for a large scale critical incident

Internship with ITRR

The Institute of Terrorism Research and Response (ITRR) is an American not for profit corporation created to help organizations succeed and prosper in a world influenced by terrorism. You can read about the institute at http://www.terrorresponse.org/

ITRR recruits the best and brightest in the field of counterterrorism to include analysts, researchers, and multi language speakers for an internship.

We are always accepting resumes/credentials and look forward to your submission.

Please send to: Yulia ShnaiderProjects Coordinator application@itrrintel.org

WADEM Conference

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Steven Parrillo, Medical Director of our program was chosen to present a poster on Emergency Preparedness for Persons with Disability (click on image to view) at the 16th World Congress on Disaster and Emergency Medicine Conference taking place in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada from May 12 - 15, 2009.

Accepting New Students for Summer Term

We are now accepting applications for the Summer Term which begins on May 18th through August 7th. You can apply on line by clicking www.philau.edu/graduate/apply.htm

Any questions, can be directed to Annette Solarski at solarskia@philau.edu or by calling 215-951-2558.