MIAMI, Feb. 27, 2023 – For the 2nd year in a row, Miami Dade College’s (MDC) School of Justice will host the Annual Symposium on Response and Recovery for Critical Incidents, an event for first responders, CSI personnel, medicolegal investigators and members from state and federal agencies. The symposium is an opportunity to enhance their knowledge and skills for managing mass casualty incidents using the application of a system supported by the theory of a unified command. The event will take place at 8 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28, at MDC North Campus.
Attendees will have the opportunity to network with other professionals in the field, learn things outside their area of expertise, participate in real-time Q&A with presenters, and learn about the latest technologies and methodologies. They will also view live demonstrations, such as K-9 search and recovery, rapid DNA analysis and ground-penetrating radar.
“Our world is quite complex, an environment comprised of largely uncontrollable, unpredictable situations,” said Fermin Vazquez, MDC North Campus President. “That is why It brings me great joy that MDC North Campus will once again host this symposium, the only place in Florida where highly skilled, well-trained, seasoned individuals in the response and recovery professions gather to share their knowledge, connect with peers, and offer solutions to transform the way they execute their jobs during mass casualty incidents.”
Mass casualty incidents occur worldwide in areas ranging in size from single-story structures to scenes comprising multiple buildings covering large geographic areas. Law enforcement agencies and their Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) units must be prepared to respond. Minimizing the loss of life, increasing the speed of victim recovery, and maximizing confirmed victim identifications require the most rigorous, comprehensive and up-to-date training available.
“I am thrilled that our Criminal Justice faculty, under the leadership of the renown CSI expert, educator and author Dr. Sharon Plotkin, created this symposium to address an untapped need that serves not only the professionals in the field but also our students and the next generation of CSI professionals,” said Dr. Efrain Venezuela, Dean of Faculty at MDC North Campus. “This is the only place in Florida where you will find this caliber of subject matter experts sharing their expertise and resources under one roof.”
For more than 40 years, the School of Justice, Public Safety and Law Studies (SOJ) at MDC has been training and educating public safety professionals domestically and internationally, including instructing more than 80 percent of all public safety professionals in Miami-Dade County. SOJ offers associate degrees in criminal justice and cybercrimes, as well as a bachelor’s degree in public safety management with 10 specialized tracks, and certificates in homeland security and crime scene technology. In addition, SOJ provides certification and licensing in various areas of public safety, including firefighter, police, corrections, private security and specialized executive leadership training. For more information, please visit https://www.mdc.edu/justice/.
WHAT: 2nd Annual Symposium on Response and Recovery for Critical Incidents
WHEN: Tuesday, Feb. 28, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
WHERE: MDC North Campus Conference Center, 11380 NW 27th Ave.
For more information about the symposium, contact Dr. Sharon Plotkin, splotkin@mdc.edu.