News about Emergency Management & Homeland Security

The crucial role that Incident Management Teams play in a coordinated response to emergencies was recently highlighted for Pennsylvania College of Technology students by a nationally contracted instructor, mentor and consultant.

Susan Taylor-Hall, the executive associate/director of ETC and Associates (and one of the cross-country luminaries rounded up by instructor David E. Bjorkman) met virtually with emergency management students to enlighten them on a variety of rewarding and challenging careers.

Her message to the class was clearly one of partnership, in which each of the disparate agencies involved in emergent incidents functions as part of a fully engaged team. In that spirit, she told the aspiring practitioners, it is vital to know individuals’ strengths and weaknesses. In the heat of the moment in the Emergency Operations Center, being able to tap into and utilize each person’s particular skill, knowledge and ability is crucial for success.

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On the one-year anniversary of the coordinated emergency response to COVID-19, Pennsylvania College of Technology students had the opportunity to hear from the director of the Snohomish County (Washington) Department of Emergency Management, whose jurisdiction includes the country’s first confirmed case of the coronavirus.

Jason M. Biermann spoke with Penn College students on March 2, part of a series of presentations arranged by David E. Bjorkman, instructor of emergency management/social science at the college.

Biermann told his audience that he got involved in emergency management “by accident … literally” when he lost his wallet after getting a flu shot through the local health department. Returning to reclaim it, he noticed a job posting – “hiring for a public health response coordinator” – and pursued it.

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An Emergency Management Leadership Series, featuring topic experts recruited by a Pennsylvania College of Technology faculty member to provide his students with topical and credible perspectives from their chosen career fields, recently kicked off with a presentation by Amazon’s global business continuity and supply chain risk leader.

Andrew Owlett, among the corporate professionals who generously answered a LinkedIn solicitation from David E. Bjorkman, instructor of emergency management/social science, visited with Penn College emergency management and information assurance and cyber security students over Zoom.

While he has only been with Amazon for less than a year, Owlett brings to his position an eye-opening breadth of knowledge accrued since his teenage days – the time he realized that his goal was, quite simply, to help people.

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Juggling full-time college classes by day and full-time emergency medical technician work by night, Brooke M. Strubel is earning her Bachelor of Science degree in emergency management and homeland security in just two and a half years. For a young woman who recommends getting out of your comfort zone to achieve your highest potential, this past year, intensified by a global pandemic, has offered an ideal environment in which to enhance her people-centered skills.

“I never thought that I’d be working during a pandemic … but it’s an experience that I won’t forget,” said the soon-to-be Pennsylvania College of Technology graduate from Strasburg. “Challenges get you out of your comfort zone, and that is the area in which you will find yourself, your passions, your strengths and, yes, even your weaknesses. This is the area in which you will thrive and improve. Everything you learn advances your knowledge and leads to personal and professional growth.”

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Although the COVID-19 pandemic is upending the norm in most sectors of society, students and faculty in Pennsylvania College of Technology’s emergency management and homeland security major remain steady, observant and engaged in their education as they watch the historic crisis unfold and their career field move to center stage.

“I do tell students jobs will be aplenty as there will be a lot of money thrust at health care, public health, emergency management, homeland security, other critical infrastructure sectors and private sector consulting for preparedness measures moving forward,” said David E. Bjorkman, instructor of emergency management/social science.

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David E. Bjorkman, instructor of emergency management/social science at Penn College, was a recent guest on the Keystone Emergency Management Association’s podcast. Bjorkman serves as secretary for the association, which is holding its second annual Emergency Preparedness Conference through Tuesday at the Blair County Convention Center in Altoona. In a 10-minute interview with co-hosts Paul Falavolito and Amy Amer, the faculty member provided an overview of the college’s four-year emergency management technology degree – career opportunities, the realistic disaster simulations in which students participate, the overwhelming acceptance by veteran first responders to this “new generation” of emergency personnel and the college’s participation with KEMA’s mentorship committee.
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College employees rallied to provide nearly 40 educational sessions for middle schoolers from across the region who visited campus on Monday for the college’s twice-a-year Career Day. Facilitated by the college’s College Transitions Office, the event provided 1,267 students with opportunities to explore a wide variety of careers in each of the college’s six academic schools. Visitors included 13 schools and home-schooled students.

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Students from Penn College’s School of Nursing & Health Sciences and School of Sciences, Humanities & Visual Communications joined area law enforcement, emergency management and health care professionals in a recent simulation at UPMC Susquehanna Williamsport Regional Medical Center and a variety of other locations.

The college’s paramedic program has participated in the drill since its inception, and this year, the School of Nursing & Health Sciences decided to participate schoolwide to provide an interdisciplinary learning opportunity. The school had conducted its own Interdisciplinary Professional Experience on campus for several years.

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A wide variety of rewarding career options await graduates of Penn College’s emergency management program, the focus of a new video on the college’s YouTube channel. The bachelor’s degree prepares students for management positions in government, public health, health care agencies, and a broad spectrum of industries in which planning for potential emergencies is paramount. “A lot of people, when they come into emergency management, know and think of county-level emergency management, state-level emergency management; they think of FEMA or Homeland Security,” says David E. Bjorkman, an emergency management/social science instructor in the college’s School of Sciences, Humanities & Visual Communications. “Emergency management and disasters touch every aspect of community life. Every organization. No one is immune to any disasters.” The piece was crafted by Tristan D. Scott, a student videographer/editor, under direction of  Christopher J. Leigh, video production coordinator.

The latest episode of a locally produced, award-winning public television series emphasizes the importance of caring individuals who provide for the health and well-being of the community.

“Working Class: Helping & Healing,” produced by Pennsylvania College of Technology and WVIA Public Media, premieres on WVIA-TV at 8 p.m. Thursday, March 21 (with rebroadcasts at 1 p.m. Friday, March 22, and 11 a.m. Sunday, March 24). It highlights the importance of science, math, communication and hands-on experience in preparing students for success in health and human service careers.

The film features Penn College faculty, administrators and students who serve the community in helping and healing roles. Among them is Thomas A. Zimmerman, associate professor of psychology, who counseled area residents after the TWA Flight 800 crash in July 1996. He discusses the importance of people coming together to help one another and to heal in the wake of tragedy.

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David E. Bjorkman, instructor of emergency management/social science at Pennsylvania College of Technology, was honored by the Keystone Emergency Management Association at its inaugural Emergency Preparedness Conference, held recently at the Blair County Convention Center in Altoona.

Bjorkman received the Spirit of KEMA Award. The award was established by the KEMA Board of Directors to recognize KEMA members who have worked tirelessly to advance the association, promote its mission, advocate on its behalf and forge partnerships that seek to elevate the emergency management profession.

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An emergency management technology major who is a survivor of last year’s Las Vegas shooting shared her story with fellow Pennsylvania College of Technology students and faculty Monday night in the Student & Administrative Services Center’s Presentation Room.

Emergency management, human services, nursing and emergency medical services/paramedic students were among those who listened intently and respectfully to Robyn N. Wolfe’s harrowing story. Her husband, William “Bill” Wolfe Jr., was the sole Pennsylvania fatality in the horrific mass shooting that claimed 58 lives and injured more than 800 people.

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A second gift of $500,000 from the Tamaqua-based John E. Morgan Foundation has boosted an endowed scholarship fund at Pennsylvania College of Technology to more than $1 million.

The John E. Morgan Scholarship gives first preference to graduates of Tamaqua Area High School who are pursuing “a degree that is not readily available from other institutions, at a comparable price, within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”

Examples of such programs offered at Penn College include, but are not limited to, culinary arts and systems, web and interactive media, building science and sustainable design, health information management, industrial design, plastics and polymer engineering technology, emergency management technology, and aviation maintenance technology.

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Emergency management technology graduate Elizabeth (Landis) Hess, ’17, returned to the classroom recently to share her advice and expertise with students in the major. Hess is working as a disaster preparedness associate at Delta Development Group, Mechanicsburg. Among her projects, the Penn College alumna is working with public health, state and local stakeholders, and health care coalitions on a variety of emergency management initiatives. During her time in the major, Hess interned over two summers at the Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center under the guidance of its emergency preparedness coordinator. As part of her visit to her alma mater, Hess discussed courses within the emergency management curricula that she has found particularly relevant in the world of work, and encouraged students to take full advantage of internships and other learning opportunities that will enhance their resumes and skill sets. Once on the job, she told her audience to “humble yourself and be willing to learn” as they begin to navigate their careers and to keep an open mind to different paths since emergency management “is a broad field” filled with many possibilities and specialties.

The failure of U.S. military mental health policy to address the needs of veterans is the focus of an acclaimed documentary to be screened at the Community Arts Center.

“Thank You for Your Service” will be shown on Wednesday, March 21, at 7 p.m. at the Arts Center, 220 W. Fourth St., Williamsport. Doors will open at 6 p.m. A reception – offering conversation, food, support and services for veterans – will follow the movie. Tom Donahue, the documentary’s director, is scheduled to attend.

The free event is presented by Pennsylvania College of Technology, Lycoming College and the Community Arts Center.

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