Imagine if a natural gas pipeline that provides gas to 15 counties across the southern tier of Pennsylvania failed one winter day. As the gas already in the pipeline is used up, it becomes clear that more than a million households in the state will be impacted. It will take weeks before service is restored to all the gas customers. With daily temperatures below freezing, it is clear that many of those affected will not be able to stay in their homes, but the question becomes: Where do they go?
Pasquale Travaglini and team participate in a simulated hiker rescue.
Then, think about a hurricane roaring through central New York state. Along with the widespread flooding and building collapses caused by accompanying tornados, cyber attacks on critical infrastructure cause dams to malfunction, trains to derail, and shut down the system used to manage emergency response. What can be done?
These were two of the fictional scenarios that one Immaculata student was immersed in over the summer. Pasquale Travaglini, an Emergency Planning and Management (EPM) major, participated in two exercises to help him better understand the multifaceted role of emergency managers.
In late May, Pasquale assumed the role of a Public Information Officer (PIO) during the Commonwealth’s full-scale sheltering drill that was part of the 2024 National Mass Care Exercise conducted at Shippensburg University. Dubbed Keystone 6, it brought together dozens of participating organizations from the federal, state and county government levels, as well as humanitarian organizations and the private sector. Being a PIO enabled him to observe all of the different sections of the shelter, as well as interview some of the “evacuees” (role players) to hear about their experience.
In early August, Pasquale participated in the NY Hope exercise as part of the EPM 205 Disaster Response Field Experience course. During this full-scale exercise held at the NY State Training Preparedness Center, he served on a team with other students and participated in hands-on training. Teams searched for victims in a collapsed building, learned how to stay safe in a swift flood waters and established a triage site during a mass casualty event.
He thought that the most challenging training was the Emergency Operations Center event, which was conducted by Dr. George Schwartz, Director of Immaculata’s Undergraduate Program in Emergency Management. The training utilized NY state’s Mobile Command Post #1, used by the Governor during emergency incidents. Juggling reports coming in by email, phone and radio, teams had to continue supporting units in the field as an escalating stream of incidents poured in.
Keystone 6 and NY Hope were two of several professional development opportunities offered to EPM students over the summer. “We are fortunate that our program is recognized within the emergency management community, so we receive invitations to participate in events like these,” Dr. Schwartz stated.