Findlay, Ohio – With the awareness of terrorism rising in the United States, The University of Findlay’s School of Environmental and Emergency Management (SEEM) has been certified to offer a U.S. Department of Homeland Security-approved “agroterrorism” preparedness-training course.

This Foreign Animal Disease Response course includes an overview of agroterrorism and training modules on quarantine procedures, personal protective equipment selection, depopulation and disposal of animals, and facility and equipment cleaning and disinfecting. Other key parts of the training include a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak scenario and drill with Emergency Responder field notes. The program will be geared toward representatives from fire service, law enforcement, medical professionals, HazMat specialists, transportation coordinators, the military and the entire agriculture community.

Harold Huffman, program manager for the SEEM, was certified last year as a master trainer for this DHS-Approved Course developed by Kirkwood Community College of Iowa. Mr. Huffman is part of a 100-person team in the U.S. that has been charged with training officers at the first response level on these critical agroterrorism issues.

Huffman commented, “People rarely connect agroterrorism with such responders as fire, law enforcement, emergency medical services and emergency management agencies. ... Members of the local response community will be the ones to deal with the problem up front until state and federal agencies can offer assistance. And they may actually stay involved for weeks and/or months until the spread of the disease is thwarted, and the contaminated facilities, equipment and other items are disinfected.”

Because this region is heavily saturated with farming and agricultural industries, this course will benefit First Responders and many others in the surrounding community.

For more information on the course, e-mail seem@findlay.edu, or click here.