UVSC to do its part for Homeland Security

OREM — Utah Valley State College wants to prepare for a terrorist attack on American soil by training the country's emergency-responder corps.

This week, Utah's Board of Regents, which oversees Utah's public colleges and universities, approved the creation of an Institute of Emergency Services and Homeland Security at UVSC.

The name of the program sounds more glamorous than the program will be, UVSC President William Sederburg said. "The name sounds sexy, but it's really just a way to put several departments under one umbrella," Sederburg said.

UVSC will add emergency-medical and hazardous-waste training to its existing Utah Fire and Rescue Academy, said Dee Martin, dean of UVSC's School of Technology.

As a result, the institute won't require any additional tax money to operate.

First responders — those who arrive first at the scene of an emergency — will be able to attend the institute for training, Martin said. Firefighters from Utah and surrounding states will learn to handle events ranging from a nuclear explosion to an earthquake.

"We can't prevent disasters, but we will learn as much as we can about responding to them, being there and saving lives," Martin said.

Nationwide, there's a handful of programs bearing the Homeland Security name, but UVSC's institute will be the first in Utah. However, the program isn't exclusive to UVSC, meaning other Utah universities are free to create their own, Martin said.

Bearing the "Homeland Security" name not only makes the institute more appealing, Martin said, but it qualifies UVSC to receive federal grants and work in conjunction with the federal Department of Homeland Security.

Jeff Maxfield, who will be the institute's director, said the federal government wants to form centers to train first-responders. He said that the National Fire Academy was absorbed by the federal Department of Homeland Security following Sept. 11, 2001.

That indicates the critical importance of firefighters and other first responders in handling a disaster, he said. "When you have large events, it can be days and days and days to control," he said. "It's critical that we're prepared."

Though Maxfield doesn't believe terrorists will target Utah anytime soon, he said it's better to be safe than sorry.

"We've got some real targets here, with Hill Air Force Base and Dugway Proving Ground, as well as some of the environmental terrorism that has taken place," he said. "To have people ready to respond and keep us safe is very reassuring and really exciting."

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E-mail: lwarner@desnews.com