New director prepares GCSU for emergencies

    GCSU has recently hired former detective Eugene Bertrand as its new director of Emergency Preparedness.
    “I’m here to minimize threats and enhance safety and security for faculty and students,” Bertrand said.  “I am trained to deal with natural or man-made disasters with anything from tornadoes to terrorist threats, industrial hygiene and hazardous materials.”
    Bertrand was born in Haiti, grew up in Miami, Fla., and went to college in Boston, Mass.  He is fluent in Spanish and French and has trained extensively with the Massachusetts State Police Academy as well as the Massachusetts Deptartment of Corrections.  He is also a first responder and certified arson investigator.
    Although the position is new at GCSU, it is common with other universities and large companies.
    “This is something most universities in Georgia already have,” said  Diane Kirkwood, director of Human Resources .  “Since 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, the demand for this type of job has increased nationally.”
    Bertrand will be working hand-in-hand with local law enforcement and special interest groups such as the Milledgeville Police Deptartment and the Red Cross.  He will also work with GCSU information security officers to protect campus computers and networks from security breaches.  His first real test of “emergency preparedness” came with the “tempest” that struck Milledgeville two weeks ago.
    “I assisted the president’s office during the storm and helped coordinate some of the cleanup efforts,” said Bertrand.  “Luckily no one was hurt, but one of our future goals is to do a better job of notifying students about upcoming disasters and any class cancellations that may result.”
    Bertrand plans to accomplish this through his new Web site, which is http://e911.gcsu.edu.  The Web site is currently under construction, but Bertrand hopes to be able to post all pertinent information to students on the site in the near future. 
    Bertrand plans to incorporate training exercises for students on campus this Summer and next Fall as well.
    “We’re going to be doing some fire safety and right-to-know training in the dorms and this summer I also hope to give some demonstrations on chemical spills on Front Campus,” Bertrand said.
    Bertrand has been with the school since late January.
    “We’re happy to have hired someone with such a passion for the job,” Kirkwood said.  “We needed a person who’s on top of things to take the initiative to make things safer on campus, and we expect him to really make a big impact.”
    Bertrand says he has an open-door policy and his office is in Terrell Hall, room 222.
    “If any student has concerns regarding safety on campus I would urge them to come see me anytime,” Bertrand said. “I can also be contacted by phone at (478) 445-2025 or e-mail at Eugene.bertrand@gcsu.ed. Obviously, if there is an immediate emergency, students should dial 911.”

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Apr 6 2007. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry