Who: The University of Findlay’s School of Environmental and Emergency Management (SEEM)

What: Live training instructing the emergency response community on how to handle clandestine methamphetamine labs

When: 3 p.m. Thursday, April 6

Where: Ohio Logistics Warehouse on Fostoria Road, Findlay, Ohio.

Why: In 2000, 43 meth labs were seized in Ohio; last year, this number grew to over 400. According to Harry Huffman, program manager for SEEM, many emergency response personnel do not get the training they need to respond safely to suspected meth “cooking labs” because of the cost and travel time usually involved with training. “The live webcast will enable first responders from all over the country to log on and participate in a full-scaled simulation of the verification, entry, arrest, decontamination and medical response that is needed when they respond to the report of a suspected meth “cooking lab,” Huffman explained.

Additional Information:
Members of the press are invited to a “behind-the-scenes” look at how the ground-breaking ALERT Emergency Response Training Webcast is conducted. Randal Van Dyne, executive director of SEEM, will be available for media interviews beginning at 2:30 p.m.

Media Contact: Rebecca Shell, public relations officer, 419-434-4345, shell@findlay.edu.

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