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Citizen and community preparedness conference coming to Niagara University

by jmaloni

Press release

Fri, May 17th 2013 08:45 am

On Saturday, June 8, Niagara University is hosting a conference designed to offer attendees "best practices" for establishing citizen and community preparedness initiatives.

"Empowering Volunteers" is open at no cost to residents of Niagara and Erie counties. The event was conceived by Border Community SERVICE, a community empowerment arm of Niagara University.

The conference will begin at 9 a.m. in the Castellani Art Museum, and include a keynote address on the state of preparedness in the Western New York region.

The conference will have two breakout sessions, one in the morning and another in the afternoon.

Conference presenters include:

  • Dave Whalen, statewide project coordinator for first responder disability awareness training
  • Dennis Carson, coordinator of the emergency services and Homeland Security Bureau for the Town of Tonawanda Police Department
  • Frank McNamara, captain and SWAT commander, Town of Tonawanda Police Department
  • Brent Costello, patrol K-9 officer and SWAT tactical officer, Town of Tonawanda Police Department
  • Joann Sands, clinical instructor for the School of Nursing at the University at Buffalo
  • Christopher Griffiths, supervisory border patrol agent
  • Nicole Gerber, emergency manager for Roswell Park Institute and Town of Grand Island Emergency Services Coordinator

The workshops will be held in St. Vincent's Hall.

There is no charge for this conference, but participants must preregister by Thursday, June 6. Registration is available online at www.niagara.edu/conference-registration or by calling Gail Struzik at 716-205-0077 or Dana Estrada at 716-205-0075.

The mission of Border Community SERVICE ("Special Emergency Response Volunteer Initiative for Community Empowerment") of Niagara University is to provide emergency preparedness training to citizens and to encourage their participation in opportunities that enhance regional emergency readiness.

For additional information, refer to the Border Community SERVICE webpage at www.niagara.edu/bordercommunityservice.

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