Brandon University Student Presents at International NFPA Conference

posted December 13, 2011

Brandon, MB — Third-year student Greg Bartlett, whose major is Applied Disaster and Emergency Studies (ADES), has had a busy fall. Just a few days ago, he and some classmates attended the Canadian Emergency Management Conference, which was held in Brandon. At this event, he had the chance to give a talk to directors and assistant deputy ministers about mitigation.

“Mitigation is one of the four pillars that we use in emergency management to deal with possible risk or hazard. It’s the first step. An example is panic hardware on a door. If the fire alarm goes, the doors have to open outward. That’s a mitigation step,” said Bartlett. “Facilitating a national level meeting was phenomenal.”

In late October, at the request of a Canadian director of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Bartlett gave another presentation. This time, it was at a conference for the NFPA Wildland Fire Operations Division Conference in Denver, Colorado. For this event, which gathered fire experts, community planners and representatives as well as various professionals involved in this field, Bartlett offered a look at one of the emerging trends.

“I spoke about industrial wildland fire protection and looked at infrastructure protection for non-traditional interfaces,” Bartlett said, explaining that he used the example of a mine site northeast of Prince Albert that had been threatened by a wildfire. At the time, he was the spokesperson for the province of Saskatchewan in forest fire prevention.

“Also, the conference gave me the chance to wave the (BU and ADES) flag and helped me develop my public speaking skills,” he said. “It was also an excellent opportunity to branch out and make contacts with international stakeholders.”

After earning a diploma in forestry and working in this field for more than a decade, Bartlett chose to further his studies in Brandon University’s unique ADES program. Sharing classes with other mature students has helped him along the way.

“I started in the ADES program three years ago and haven’t looked back,” said Bartlett. “The ADES program is the only one in Canada that’s offered in a Bachelor of Science stream. In the forestry industry, you’re taken a lot more seriously if you choose to pursue (this type) of science degree.”

These recent speaking engagements have been followed with an invitation for Bartlett to speak at the New South Wales Rural Fire Association Conference in Australia in the spring.
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For more information, please contact:

Joanne F. Villeneuve
Communications
Brandon University
270 – 18th Street
Brandon, MB R7A 6A9
Tel. 204-727-9762

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