Findlay, Ohio, March 7, 2002 — Kenneth E. Zirkle, president of The University of Findlay, will testify on behalf of UF’s Center for Terrorism Preparedness before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on Tuesday, March 12, 2002, at 2:30 p.m.

The committee is holding hearings to examine the proposed First Responder Initiative in President George W. Bush’s fiscal year 2003 budget request. Zirkle’s comments will focus on the role that academic and community institutions can play in training and preparing first responders to respond to weapons of mass destruction and terrorist attacks.

Joe Allbaugh, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), will also testify in front of the committee on Tuesday.

The invitation to testify came from James Jeffords of Vermont, chairman of the Committee on Environment and Public Works. The Center for Terrorism Preparedness is the only non-government entity invited to the hearing.

The University of Findlay has a long history in education and training of the first responder community, beginning with the academic program in 1986. Since then, consulting services, training programs, a certificate program and a master’s degree have been added. In June 1999, The University of Findlay created the Center for Terrorism Preparedness, which trains firefighters, police officers, EMS technicians and other first responders how to react in the event of a terrorist incident. In addition to first responders, the Center for Terrorism Preparedness also provides education, training and information transfer services to the public health and medical community, city and county officials and corporate safety and security personnel. The Center for Terrorism Preparedness and all environmental programs are housed in the University’s National Center of Excellence for Environmental Management.

The Center for Terrorism Preparedness was recently designated as a Center for Public Health Preparedness for Bioterrorism and Emerging Health Threats by the Centers for Disease Control. UF’s center is one of only 14 nationwide named as Centers for Public Health Preparedness. As part of this national system, the University’s Center for Terrorism Preparedness offers an all-hazards integrated approach to emergency response training for acts of terrorism involving nuclear, chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction, or bioterrorism.

There is the potential that the hearing could air on CSPAN.