Published in
Emergency Services Ireland Issue 35
Tuesday 10 November 2009 marked a watershed in emergency management
training in Ireland with the graduation of the first group of
students who had successfully completed their
MSc in Emergency Management course at Dublin City University.
The first group of students to complete the MSc in Emergency
Management programme graduated from DCU Business School on 10
November, following an intensive two-year part-time course, which
was rolled out in September 2007.
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Michael Gallagher presents ‘Student
of the Year’ award, on behalf of the Emergency Planning Society
(Ireland Branch), to Celina Barrett. Also pictured is Dr Caroline
McMullan, programme chair and current chairperson of the Irish
Branch of the EPS. |
Both the public and private sectors were represented; individuals
attended class on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays once a month
from, for example, the Department of the Environment, Intel Ireland
Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb, the Irish Red Cross, reidyBrophy Ltd,
the National Ambulance Service, Dublin Fire Brigade, the Health
Service Executive, Cork County Council and the Defence Forces.
According to Dr Caroline McMullan, chair
of the DCU programme and current chair of the
Emergency Planning Society (Ireland Branch), the success of the
programme is due to strong engagement between the key stakeholders.
“DCU has invested considerable resources in delivering a programme
which encompasses good practice in emergency management education
and which has been judged as such by a range of international
experts,†added Dr McMullan.
“The Emergency Planning Society (EPS) has assisted with the
development of the syllabus and the provision of keynote speakers
across many modules within the MSc programme. The Department of the
Environment also played a vital role in the development of the
programme; it provided a range of guest speakers and has helped to
ensure it remains a relevant, high-quality learning experience.â€
A number of organisations have provided guest speakers across a
range of specialist areas to address the students. These have
included the Department of Defence, Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue
Service, the Defence Forces, the Rapid Response Corps, Pfizer
Ireland Pharmaceuticals, Takeda Ireland Limited, An Garda SÃochána
Inspectorate, An Garda SÃochána, Bristol-Myers Squibb,
Hewlett-Packard Business Continuity & Recovery Services and Sperrin
Lakeland Health and Social Care Trust.
On a final note, Dr McMullan said: “It is important to stress that
the impact of the programme would, of course, be lessened but for
the tremendous enthusiasm with which the class of 2009 and the
current students approach their studies.†|