COD offering free homeland security training
The College of DuPage Homeland Security Training Institute is offering its first free on-site and streamed program focusing on protection from terrorism for "soft targets," including schools, sports arenas, shopping malls, amusement parks, movie theaters and other locations that attract large groups of citizens on a regular basis.
The program, paid for by a grant from Motorola Solutions Inc., is from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, March 22, at the COD Homeland Security Education Center in Glen Ellyn and will also be streamed via Eventbrite. There are seats for approximately 150 participants at the live event on COD's main campus in Glen Ellyn. To register, call (630) 942-3427.
The one-day session will be taught by course instructors and anti-terrorism experts.
They include:
• An HSTI instructor at COD since 2014, Mike Fagel's background includes law enforcement, fire rescue, emergency medical services and emergency management. He has also served the U.S. Department of Defense in a variety of capacities, including the construction of a FEMA organization from the ground up in the Middle East. In addition, Fagel has published five textbooks on emergency planning, with his latest book, "Crisis Management," earning Book of the Year by ASIS International in 2015.
• Jennifer Hesterman is an academic author, instructor and counterterrorism expert specializing in domestic terror, transnational crime and the exploitation of the Internet by terrorists and criminals to obtain financing, recruit and conduct clandestine communications. Hesterman, who resides in the Middle East, is listed as one of only a handful of experts in the world on the terror-crime nexus. Her current book, "Soft Target Hardening," was named "Book of the Year" by ASIS in 2014.
• Greg Benson is an Illinois Fire Science Institute field instructor with more than 35 years of emergency services and emergency management experience. He has worked for several fire/EMS departments in capacities ranging from firefighter/paramedic to department chief and has assisted with the development of an emergency management program for a Midwestern city with 100,000 residents. Benson has designed, conducted and evaluated regional training and exercises involving mass causalities and hazardous material responses. He has worked extensively with public and private sector entities in vulnerability assessments and the development of emergency plans to address gaps. Benson has an MPA from Northern Illinois University and has been designated as a Chief Fire Officer by the Center for Public Safety Excellence.
The Homeland Security Training Institute at College of DuPage is unique to DuPage County and the Midwest, leading the region in terms of the latest advances in immersive training. The Institute focuses on education for law enforcement, fire science, first responders and corporate security personnel in the area of Homeland Security, as well as safety information for community members. Recently, seven police agencies contracted with the HSTI to provide highly specialized training with access to simulators and expert instructors in a paradigm-shifting training model.
To register or for more information, call (630) 942-3427. or visit www.cod.edu/hsti.