News about Emergency Management & Homeland Security

When emergency management and homeland security student Evan J. Kelbaugh returned to Pennsylvania College of Technology for the Fall 2021 semester, he did so with an enhanced sense of emergency response to parlay into his coursework. As part of his recent internship with the Bucks County Emergency Management Agency, the Langhorne resident was called into action when severe storms caused flash flooding in what the National Weather Service termed a “100-year flood event” for that county.

“This was my first real taste of an actual disaster that affected a large amount of people,” Kelbaugh said. “Looking at disasters in class can only influence someone so much. When I saw the people impacted just wandering and trying to collect their salvageable items, it hit me that this was real and not something I was just reading about.”

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An article in the July/August issue of Pennsylvania Angler & Boater features a field trip taken by Rob Cooley’s Outdoor Recreation as a Therapeutic Tool course during the spring semester. The class traveled to nearby Rose Valley Lake, accompanied by Lycoming College’s director of outdoor learning and education, for an enjoyable and insightful day of kayaking. Students making the trip were Colin G. Browne Jr., Cody R. Englehart, Brad S. Grenoble, Payge C. Hess, Kai K. Marshall, Krystle J. Richardson, Nicole M. Smulligan and Devon M. Wasson. Grenoble is an emergency management technology major; the others are enrolled in human services and restorative justice. The magazine piece was facilitated by Douglas M. Hess, manager of the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission’s Benner Spring State Fish Hatchery in Centre County (and Payge Hess’ father). Included are a number of quotes about the day’s positive effects on members of the group, from enjoyment of local wildlife to the accent on their chosen field – such as this from Wasson: “There is something about just being on the water that is so calming to me and brings me that instant stress relief that everyone needs.”

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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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