Ford Motor Co., MSU to host emergency preparedness competition

Contact: Russ White, University Relations: (517) 432-0923, whiterus@msu.edu

(Editor’s note: Representatives from Ford Motor Co. and Michigan State University will be available for interviews from noon to 3 p.m. Tuesday, May 20, during the 2008 Ford-MSU Emergency Response Challenge at the MSU Pavilion. Photo opportunities will be available throughout the competition.)

May 14, 2008

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Ford Motor Co. and Michigan State University’s Emergency Response Solutions will host the 2008 Ford-MSU Emergency Response Challenge from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, May 20, at the MSU Pavilion, 4301 Farm Lane.

Emergency response teams representing Ford Motor Co.’s North American plant manufacturing operations will compete in six unrehearsed events ­– ranging from medical first response to water ball – designed to improve their ability to respond to potential industrial-related emergencies. An awards presentation will follow the competition.

“Each year Emergency Response Solutions at MSU provides more than 700 days of training for first responders in the public and private sector,” said Scott Tobey, professor in MSU’s School of Criminal Justice and organizer of the event. “The hands-on training is designed to provide responders with the knowledge and skills required to fight fires, handle chemical spills, respond to medical emergencies and initiate rescue services.”

The competition includes:

• Fire evolution – Fire defense teams will respond to a simulated industrial fire and attempt to extinguish the fire in the shortest time possible, using charged hose lines and appropriate firefighting tactics.
  
  
• Emergency medical response – ERTs will respond to an employee medical emergency, assess the patient’s condition, implement triage and provide emergency medical treatment, utilizing skills and knowledge from the American Red Cross or American Heart Association.
  
  
• Hazardous materials response – ERTs will respond to a release of an unknown hazardous material, implement an Incident Command System, assess the nature of the exposure and confine the release using appropriate equipment and procedures.
  
  
• Patient packaging – ERTs will respond to an injured employee who is located in a maintenance pit that is not a confined space. After assessing the patient and providing proper treatment, rescuers will use rigging techniques to raise the patient from the below-grade location.
  
  
• Water ball – Plant fire defense teams will face off against each other on a unique playing field, armed with high-pressure hose streams. Each team will use hose handling techniques while trying to force a suspended target into their opponent’s goal.
  
  
• Self-contained breathing apparatus check – After completing an operational check of a self-contained breathing apparatus, ERT members will don the device, use it in normal and emergency operations, remove it, and prepare it for the next user.

For more information on the Web, visit www.ers.msu.edu/index.html.