UF Offering Free Crisis Management Course to Schools

Findlay, Ohio – The University of Findlay (UF), through its All Hazards Training Center, offers a free, eight-hour course on crisis management to schools throughout the United States. Already presented more than 250 times in 42 states, “Crisis Management for School- Based Incidents” is sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through the Rural Domestic Preparedness Consortium.
“A major issue that does not receive enough attention across the US is school violence prevention. In every case, there is always available information that, if properly collected and analyzed, can prevent acts of school violence. This course contains information on how to do just that “ says J. Randall VanDyne, assistant vice president and executive director of the Center.
“In light of the recent school shootings in Connecticut, we want to make sure schools know that this course is available to them,” VanDyne adds. “ While the course is available online, we usually offer it in a face-to-face venue so participants can interact directly with the instructor and other students.”
“Crisis Management for School-Based Incidents: Partnering Rural Law Enforcement and the Local School Systems” is an awareness level training course designed to educate administrators and personnel responsible for school safety/security. It also addresses rural law enforcement’s effective response to school-based emergencies.
Instructors address topics including:
• Incident Planning and Preparedness
• Proactive Threat Mitigation
• Vulnerability Assessments
• Threat Assessment Management
• Incident Response and Recovery
• Incident Defusing and Debriefing
• Parent Reunification
The school violence prevention portion of this course comes from a program called Threat Assessment Management, which was developed by the U.S. Secret Service and approved for use in schools by the U.S. Department of Education.
Work is being completed on a second course, “Crisis Management for School-Based Incidents for Key Decision Makers” which should be available this spring. The two-day program will provide the operational-level details to support many of the topics covered in the eight-hour awareness-level course.
For more information, or to schedule Crisis Management for School-Based Incidents, contact VanDyne at 419-434-4572 or visit www.findlayallhazards.com.
The University of Findlay is a comprehensive university with a hands-on approach to learning located in Findlay, Ohio, approximately 45 miles south of Toledo. With a total enrollment of approximately 3,600 full-time and part-time students, The University of Findlay is noted for its innovative, career-oriented programs in nearly 60 majors and 10 graduate and professional degrees.