September 25, 2002—The International Union of Operating Engineers has launched an intensive Homeland Security Training Program at its International Environmental Technology and Training Center in Beckley, WVA, to prepare its members to deal with events such as the 9-11 terrorist attacks and other emergencies.
This first in a series of training classes will focus on those IUOE members who work as operations and maintenance personnel in nuclear facilities, hospitals, government facilities, commercial office buildings, and other public and private complexes throughout the US. Future classes will also be geared toward those IUOE members who work as heavy equipment operators.
In establishing the Homeland Security Training Program, IUOE General President Frank Hanley said the program “will draw heavily on the first-hand experiences of those members who were working in the World Trade Center Complex when it was attacked and those heavy equipment operators who were on the scene immediately aiding in the rescue efforts.”
“Our members were inside when those planes hit the North and South Towers. They were the ones who initially led many of the occupants of those buildings to safe evacuation routes and who had the foresight to shut down the power in those buildings, saving many more lives. They were truly the ‘first responders’ in this tragedy and, as such, their experience and knowledge will prove invaluable resources in training other workers.”
Hanley also noted that he dispatched the IUOE Hazmat Emergency Management Team, based in Beckley, West Virginia, to Ground Zero shortly after the September 11th attacks, where members conducted daily air sampling and distributed over 11,000 respirators and other safety equipment to those workers engaged in the rescue and recovery operations. The IUOE also was the lead organization providing site-specific training to all the Ground Zero workers.
The training classes will combine classroom and practical instruction, including a mock disaster/evacuation simulation. Among subjects to be covered in the three-day session are radiological, biological, and chemical hazards, respiratory protection, personal protective equipment, toxicology, and instructor methodology. For more information, contact Donald Carson at 304/253-8674.
