More than 50 MCNY Students, Alums and Faculty Participate in Terror Drill Training at JFK while MCNY Staff Offer Lead Advice on the Topic “In New York City and Beyond”
NEW YORK, NY- June 25, 2012 – Yesterday, approximately 50 Metropolitan College of New York (MCNY) students participated in a government-mandated emergency drill, led by the Port Authority at JFK Airport. The elaborate terror drill, designed to train emergency responders, also included federal, state and local authorities in full mask and hazmat suits working on the scene of a simulated plane crash and truck bombing. MCNY students joined 350 actors who played real passengers. This required drill involved about 500 volunteers from the New York City area and allowed MCNY Emergency & Disaster Management students to get firsthand training.
“This program was an incredible experience for our students,” said Ali Gheith, Director of MCNY’s Emergency and Disaster Management program. “It provided them with the exceptional opportunity to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom to a very real situation, and they have gained the perspective of a first responder.”
Link to: Terror Drill at JFK: CBS 2’s Rachel Stockman reports. MCNY Student, Alex Paone, was interviewed during the excercises.
In addition, MCNY Professor George Contreras of the MPA in Emergency and Disaster Management Program was keynote speaker at the Eighth National Congress on Pre-hospital Medicine and Disasters. The congress was held on June 23-24, 2012 in Cuernavaca, Mexico. Professor Contreras spoke on Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and Emergency Management functions in NYC. He further provided recommendations for the city of Cuernavaca during the high alert of that city secondary to a nearby volcano.
Professor Contreras was part of the opening ceremony and was joined by the Health Minister of that region. MCNY Professor Contreras was invited as a expert in EMS, disaster management and international response.
“This is a proud moment for MCNY,” said President Vinton Thompson. “It reaffirms MCNY’s position as one of the country’s leading Emergency & Disaster Management programs.”
For more information on Emergency and Disaster Management and MCNY’s graduate program, visit http://www.mcny.edu/publicaffairs/mpa_emergencyabout.php
