HACC has served as the host site for this annual event since the early 1990s. Every year the program provides up-to-date information on the hazardous materials industry in response to emergency situations.
"The conference provides an opportunity to see and hear from nationally-known speakers at a reasonable price," says Jerry Ozog, director, fire and EMS training at HACC's Senator John J. Shumaker Public Safety Center. "This year Greg Noll, of Hildebrand & Noll, will lead a pre-conference session covering material from his recently published book, Hazardous Materials: Managing the Incident."
Noll's book is the primary reference source for HazMat Technician certification in Pennsylvania, according to Ozog. He will cover topics, such as emerging trends and issues and using the Eight Step Process® as a tactical framework for hazmat incident management.
Sponsoring the four-day program are three agencies: HACC's Senator John J. Shumaker Public Safety Center, Pennsylvania Association of Hazardous Materials Technicians, and Pennsylvania Emergency Management Association.
On Thursday, September 29, the program will feature eight one-day, pre-conference sessions on a variety of topics. In addition to Noll's Managing the Incident, other topics will include HazMat Chemistry Refresher, Advanced HazMat Life Support for Toxic Terrorism, Radiological WMD Response, CAMEO for Windows, Advanced Hot Zone Operations, Chemical Identification: The HazCat, and Clandestine Drug Labs.
During the next two days, registrants will have the opportunity to attend seven different workshop sessions from among the more than 40 offered. On Sunday, the eighth and final workshop is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. until noon and is called "Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow." It features John Eversole, retired chief of the Chicago Fire Department. He will discuss the industry's beginning, its accomplishments, where things stand today and what the future holds for hazardous materials responders.
All of the workshop offerings will be held at HACC's C. Ted Lick Wildwood Conference Center and at the Senator John J. Shumaker Public Safety Center, North Hall.
The deadline to register for the HAZMAT Training & Educational Program and Seminar is Wednesday, September 21. The program registration fee for Friday, Saturday and Sunday is $120 for Pennsylvania residents and $160 for non-residents. Registration for the Thursday full-day workshops is additional: $75 for Pennsylvania residents and $95 for non-residents. Registration is limited, so pre-registering is required. Call 717-780-2607 for more information.