BECKLEY, W.Va., Sept. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Union of
Operating Engineers launches an intensive Homeland Security Training Program
September 23-25, at its International Environmental Technology and Training
Center to prepare its members to deal with events such as 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 U.S. Future classes will
also be geared toward those IUOE 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 further information:
    Donald Carson
    Tel: 304-253-8674

    This release was issued through eReleases.com - Your Source for Affordable
PR.  For more information, visit http://www.ereleases.com.

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