Fargo, N.D. — Carol Cwiak, assistant professor of emergency management at NDSU, was an invited speaker to the eighth annual Summit on Emergency and Disaster Planning for Colleges, Universities and K-12 Schools in Toronto.

Cwiak spoke about the value of educating teens on basic preparedness and response behaviors through a Federal Emergency Management Agency sponsored program called Teen Community Emergency Response Teams. NDSU's Department of Emergency Management has partnered with community organizations, local emergency management professionals, area first responders and local schools to offer the program in area schools since 2009.

NDSU's Department of Emergency Management played a key role in the delivery of the first Teen Community Emergency Response Teams pilot program in North Dakota at West Fargo High School in 2009. Since that time, hundreds of area teens have participated in the program’s offerings on their campuses. The Department of Emergency Management supports the program by supplying knowledgeable interns who help manage and facilitate the program.