Staff members of the School of Environmental and Emergency Management (SEEM) not only prepare administrators, faculty and staff at The University of Findlay for emergencies, but also individuals on campuses across the nation.
    
Staff members in K-12 schools, as well as college campuses, are requesting many of the training programs SEEM offers. Locally, SEEM trainers have been to Bowling Green State University and Ohio University in Lancaster and K-12 schools such as Findlay City, Fostoria, Upper Sandusky, Edgewood, Van Buren, Liberty Benton and Arcadia.
    
In addition, Harold Huffman, school/campus safety and security program manager, has been working with DeVry University, traveling to the university’s campuses in Ohio, Arizona and Washington, with plans to complete training at additional DeVry locations.
    
While on location, SEEM personnel conduct a physical assessment of the facilities and a vulnerability assessment – looking at nearby highways, railways and industries – of the community, in addition to the staff training.
    
According to J. Randal VanDyne, executive director of SEEM, trainers use an all-hazards approach. “We help them prepare for natural disasters, traffic accidents, unruly parents and school violence,” he said. “We prepare them for the worst.”
    
In rural school systems especially, SEEM works to create stronger partnerships between local law enforcement and the school. They encourage the two entities to work together, plan together and be prepared together.
    
Some schools receive training through the Rural Domestic Preparedness Consortium (RDPC), of which SEEM is a member. All RDPC courses must be approved by the Department of Homeland Security before they are offered to the public. SEEM will soon begin its third pilot program through the RDPC.
    
To learn more about SEEM, visit www.findlay.edu, Keyword: SEEM.