News Release
September 2005
Bethlehem, Pa., September 28, 2005—Moravian College and the City
of Bethlehem have partnered to host a six-month “Critical Incident Protocol (CIP) – Community
Facilitation” program, funded by the Department of Homeland Security and conducted
by the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University (MSU). This important
and timely program is designed to bring together key representatives of the private sector
(businesses and non-profit organizations) and the public sector (police, fire, emergency
services, and other agencies), in an effort to improve Bethlehem’s joint assessment
of risks to our community, to determine mutual threats and vulnerabilities, to identify
and develop available resources for emergency response, and to strengthen our emergency
planning.
The CIP program will begin with a day-long orientation and planning session
on Friday, September 30, on the Moravian College campus. After intervening follow-up
sessions during the fall, the program will culminate early in 2006 in a tabletop exercise
in response to a simulated crisis.
“Throughout the program, MSU facilitators with extensive experience
in public-private sector partnerships and emergency planning will assist in strengthening
important partnerships in our city, said Ervin J. Rokke, president, Moravian College. “As
a result, we hope that we will be able to develop, test, and implement a collaborative
approach to emergency planning, preparedness, and response—one that involves citizens,
businesses, and public agencies alike —that will enhance the safety and security
of our community.”
Critical Incident Protocol” (CIP) program is funded by a grant to
Michigan State University from the Office for Domestic Preparedness, U.S. Department
of Homeland Security. The MSU team has orchestrated CIP programs in eleven U.S. cities
since 1999. Muhlenberg College and the City of Allentown participated in a CIP program
in 2004 and Lafayette College and the City of Easton are involved in a CIP program that
is presently underway. Moravian and the City of Bethlehem will implement the program
from September 2005 through January 2006.
Moravian College is a private, coeducational, selective liberal arts college
located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Tracing its founding to 1742, it is recognized as
America's sixth-oldest college. Visit the web site at www.moravian.edu.
