PHILADELPHIA (Nov. 20, 2007) – Who do you call when a big oil spill occurs or a terrorist explodes a dirty bomb?
The answer will be front and
center Dec. 2-5 in Pittsburgh, Pa., where one of America’s foremost
emergency preparedness conferences will attract 1,000 disaster experts
and hazmat technicians to learn the best response techniques and
examine state-of-the-art detection and cleanup technology at more than
100 exhibits.
The U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency annually sponsors the Emergency Preparedness & Prevention
and Hazmat Spills Conference for first responders, counter-terrorism
professionals, emergency managers, and medical, fire, law enforcement
and industry personnel. Co-hosting this year will be the City of
Pittsburgh and the 13-county Southwestern Pennsylvania Emergency
Response Group.
Highlights of this year’s
conference will include a tabletop drill by CSX transportation; advice
on whether to fight a chemical fire or evacuate the neighborhood; how
to handle pipeline emergencies and radiation risks; safeguarding
employees; hazardous materials in the home; and rapid intervention to
save the lives of responders trapped in a hazardous atmosphere.
Key speakers at the 2007 conference will include:
* Opening remarks - Glenn Cannon,
FEMA asst. administrator for disaster operations and former Allegheny
County, Pa. manager and Pittsburgh public safety director;
* Investigating Terror Financing - John Marsh, U.S. Department of Justice intelligence officer;
* Securing the Chemical Sector – Brian Harrell, U.S. Department of Homeland Security; and
* Radiation and You – Thomas Reed, Ph.D., retired hazmat director at Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory.
The emergency preparedness
conference will include dozens of workshops, intensive training for
emergency responders, and local field trips, including a visit to
Somerset County to see the Flight 93 crash site and Quecreek Mine.
At the conference, the EPA will
give its annual partnership awards to deserving persons and
organizations in the mid-Atlantic region.
More information is available at the conference website: http://www.2007conference.org/, or by calling the conference hotline at 1-800-364-7974.
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