Provides professional education in emergency preparedness, response
TORONTO, July 11, 2005 -- As more than 1500 experts from more than 50 countries gather in Toronto this week for the 15th annual World Conference on Disaster Management, York University today announced the creation of a Professional Certificate Program in Emergency Management, to be offered by the School of Administrative Studies in York’s Atkinson Faculty of Liberal and Professional Studies.
The program is a response to a pressing need for trained professionals in the growing field of emergency management in the public sector at local, regional, provincial and federal levels, as well as in business and industry, both domestically and internationally.
“Emergency management is an exciting, rapidly expanding and evolving profession,” says Prof. David Etkin, the coordinator of the program. “Emergency managers require strong analytic and communication skills to help them establish meaningful dialogue with community representatives and experts in a wide range of fields.”
The program, established in consultation with the Education Committee of the Ontario Association of Emergency Managers, provides students with an essential overview of the fundamentals in emergency management and a grounding in the basic science of disasters. The core of the program focuses in detail on the essential elements of the emergency management cycle including mitigation, prevention, preparedness, response and recovery. This kind of in-depth knowledge of natural, human and technological risks faced by communities is crucial to the emergency manager’s ability to lead effectively, and to read, interpret, prepare and implement emergency management plans and policies. In addition, the program offers specific emphasis on communications, project management, health and the environment.
“Increasingly, emergency managers are called upon to understand shifting social, economic, environmental and infrastructure systems,” says York’s Atkinson Faculty Dean, Prof. Rhonda Lenton. “They need to be able to analyze complex information and make sound decisions in difficult circumstances. This program has been carefully designed to address the research, theory and practical requirements needed for a career in the emergency management field.”
“The launch of Ontario’s first university program in emergency management is a significant milestone for Ontario’s emergency management professionals,” says Julian Fantino, Ontario Commissioner of Emergency Management. “Programs such as this and others in development in cooperation with Emergency Management Ontario will contribute directly to further enhancing the safety of all Ontario citizens.”
The development of a Canadian professional emergency management certificate is a win for everyone, according to Alain Normand, President of OAEM. "Ontario’s emergency managers will now be able to benefit from a standard of world-class professional training, previously only available out of province or on-line,” he says. “York is to be commended for taking a lead role in recognizing the importance of establishing a professional certificate in this essential field."
Scheduled for implementation in the fall of 2005, the emergency management professional certificate program was devised with the assistance of York’s Faculty of Science and Engineering, Faculty of Environmental Studies and Atkinson’s School of Social Science and will require the completion of 45 specific course credits over two to four years.
York University is the leading interdisciplinary research and teaching university in Canada. York offers a modern, academic experience at the undergraduate and graduate level in Toronto, Canada’s most international city. The third largest university in the country, York is host to a dynamic academic community of 50,000 students and 7,000 faculty and staff, as well as 180,000 alumni worldwide. York’s 10 faculties and 21 research centres conduct ambitious, groundbreaking research that is interdisciplinary, cutting across traditional academic boundaries. This distinctive and collaborative approach is preparing students for the future and bringing fresh insights and solutions to real-world challenges. York University is an autonomous, not-for-profit corporation.
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For further information, the media should contact:
Jeff Ball, Media Relations, York University, 416-736-2100 x22086/ jball@yorku.ca
