Rural Domestic Preparedness Consortium (RDPC) academic partner The University of Findlay (Ohio) All Hazards Training Center announced this week that they have teamed up with Dräger, Inc., to provide safety equipment and training expertise to support Findlay’s professional and academic programs.
Dräger has been an international leader in the fields of medical and safety technology since 1889. Founded in Germany, the company has three locations in the United States.
“As a nationwide leader in safety training, Findlay All Hazards is perfectly aligned with Dräger’s mission to advance safety in the workplace,” said Lothar Thielen, President and Regional CEO, of Dräger North America. “Our expertise in this field includes hazmat response to spills, personal protective equipment (PPE), decontamination (Decon) practices, and confined space operations.”
Dräger will provide a wide range of industrial safety and first-responder equipment for Findlay’s hand-on instructional programs. Dräger will also provide assistance with training videos and safety materials, and will keep Findlay abreast of emerging safety technologies.
Findlay trains thousands of rural and urban first responders from across the nation every year.
“We trained about 11,000 professionals last year, both at their workplaces and in our workshops here in Findlay,” said Randy Van Dyne, Executive Director at Findlay All Hazards. “All of them want to use the latest equipment when they learn. We’re excited to work with Dräger to help us meet that need.”
Additionally, the University of Findlay’s All Hazards Training Center trains thousands of rural first responders for RDPC in topics such as school safety, port security, pipeline security, and rail car incident response.
“The University of Findlay All Hazards Training Center always delivers in-demand, high-quality training for RDPC,” said Lonnie Lawson, President and CEO of The Center for Rural Development, which serves as the executive agent for RDPC. “We are pleased that they have the opportunity to build upon the services they provide for our nation’s first responders.”
RDPC is led by The Center for Rural Development (The Center) in Somerset, KY. The Consortium is comprised of five academic partners with expertise in developing and delivering homeland security curriculum for rural first responders. Current members of the Consortium include: Eastern Kentucky University, The University of Findlay, NorthWest Arkansas Community College, North Carolina Central University, and University of California-Davis. The University of Tennessee serves as an affiliate to the program. Each of these institutions possess extensive and unique capabilities relating to rural emergency preparedness training.
For more information or to request training – visit www.ruraltraining.org. The RDPC help desk is also available at info@ruraltraining.org or (877) 855-7372.
