The International Association of Assembly Managers (IAAM) Foundation has been awarded $750,000 by the Department of Homeland Security to strengthen educational opportunities for emergency preparedness training for public assembly facility managers.
The IAAM was one of 15 organizations that received grants totaling $30 million.
The money goes toward training initiatives that further the DHS' mission to prepare the nation to prevent, deter, respond to and recover from incidents of terrorism and natural disasters.
The IAAM Foundation said it will use the funds to strengthen new and existing programs, such as the Academy for Venue Safety & Security.
The funds will also be used to raise awareness and train venue managers to use the Vulnerability Self-Assessment Tool, developed by the DHS using the IAAM's Best Practices for Safety and Security.
The tool is designed to assess and strengthen current emergency plans within public assembly facilities. (AB, September).
"This grant will allow IAAM's Life Safety Council to continue pursuing its primary focus of educating venue managers on safety and security measures," IAAM president David Ross said in a statement.
"As an association of venue managers, we strive to make a difference in our communities by providing the safest facilities possible. DHS recognition of this goal by way of the grant is important for IAAM to continue as the acknowledged leader in venue management."
Seeking the grants were 267 applicants from a broad spectrum of entities.
The 15 recipients include Florida State University, $6,187,028; George Washington University, $4,670,446; the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, $2,022,287; Michigan State University, $1,539,461; University of Maryland, Baltimore, $1,484,573; and Eastern Michigan University, $968,632.
"These training programs will raise substantially the ability of our first responders, public officials and citizens to meet the challenges we face as a Nation to prevent, respond and recover from terrorist events and natural disasters," Matt A. Mayer, acting executive director of the Office of State and Local Government Coordination and Preparedness, said in a statement.
For more information, visit IAAM
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