Tech's "First Responders" Course on Today Show

by George Zamora

SOCORRO, N.M., February 7, 2002 -- New Mexico Tech's "First Responders" training program will be highlighted in a television news spot that is tentatively scheduled to air sometime during tomorrow morning's national broadcast of the Today show.

The Today show program, which is carried locally on weekdays from 7 until 9 a.m. by Albuquerque station KOB-TV 4, will feature an Olympic preview from Salt Lake City on Friday, February 8.

Tomorrow, part of the popular morning show's programming will focus on security surrounding the Olympic Winter Games, specifically the specialized training several firefighters, EMTs, and law enforcement personnel from Utah received over the course of the last two months at New Mexico Tech's Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center (EMRTC).

Through its First Responders Training Program, New Mexico Tech currently teaches first responders, such as fire fighters and law enforcement personnel, how to effectively handle and investigate emergency situations involving explosions or potential acts of terrorism, including biological, chemical, and nuclear threats.

New Mexico Tech's EMRTC is a founding member of the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium (NDPC), a partnership of public and private organizations committed to serving emergency first-responders by training them to respond efficiently and safely to incidents involving weapons of mass destruction.