FEMA Administrator to Address Campus Leaders at National Campus Security Summit
June 7, 2007
David Paulison, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), was the featured speaker at the 2007 National Campus Security Summit, held May 30 on the University of Central Oklahoma campus.
“It is important that we work collectively at all levels of government with the academic community to plan ways to prevent, protect, deter, prepare, respond and recover from all of the hazards we face as a nation,” says Administrator Paulison. “The Department of Homeland Security and FEMA have developed programs, training aids and support to assist our educational facilities take steps to address this critical need and to open the doors to communication across all levels of government.”
Paulison has more than 35 years of emergency management experience. Appointed by President George W. Bush in 2007, Paulison clearly understands the roles of first responders in a crisis, as he began his career as a firefighter and paramedic.
“The incident at Virginia Tech shook the foundations of security across every community,” says summit co-host and UCO President Roger Webb. “Paulison brings to the summit the first-hand experience of what responders face on the scene of an unfolding tragedy.”
The summit is the first of its kind in the United States since the tragedy at Virginia Tech in April and is bringing together university leadership, campus security personnel and communications departments to reexamine their critical response plans.
“Having FEMA Administrator Paulison at the summit helped all of us focus on the importance of preparedness. Preparedness can help any institution ward off problems, respond well when incidents are in progress and speed the return to normality after an event,” says Donald Hamilton, executive director of the Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism (MIPT) and summit co-host.
The one-day summit was hosted by UCO, MIPT, the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities.
— Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism
