Oakland County Preparedness Impresses Feds

By Diane Frkan
Staff Writer

Calling it a model for the entire country, Under Secretary of Emergency Preparedness and Response for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Michael Brown recently dedicated Oakland County’s Combined Regional Emergency Services Training center (CREST).
Brown, who was nominated by President George Bush as the first under secretary in the newly created Department of Homeland Security last year, was among several officials on hand to dedicate CREST, which is located on the Auburn Hills campus of Oakland Community College (OCC).
In addition, Brown coordinates federal disaster relief activities, including the implementation of the Federal Response Plan, which authorizes the response and recovery operations of 26 federal agencies and departments in the U.S.
Along with Brown, who was the keynote speaker, participants included OCC’s Chancellor Mary Spangler, Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson and Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard.
Many police, fire and emergency services personnel from Oakland County, as well as members from the Michigan State Police and the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department, demonstrated training exercises that can be conducted at CREST for Brown’s benefit.
The CREST Center displayed a variety of scenarios, from SWAT teams storming a home in a drug raid, high-rise rescues and bomb containment to fire-fighting demonstrations and examples of the latest technology in anti-terrorism, weapons of mass destruction detection and safety planning.
CREST is a 22-acre mock town that features streets, traffic lights, a bank, three single-family homes, a gas station, motel and a five-story advanced fire simulation facility and education center.
“This is the culmination of years of collaborative planning between Oakland Community College and Oakland County police, fire departments and EMT administrators,” Spangler remarked. “They have provided input every step of the way and we thank them for helping us to construct the most realistic emergency training center in the nation.”
After the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the OCC Board of Trustees made the construction of CREST a priority and expanded its scope to include cooperative training for anti-terrorism, including the handling of hazardous and biochemical materials.
Now, a number of agencies and organizations train weekly at CREST to keep on top of solutions for potential harm to the public’s safety.
Many of these agencies were on hand at the dedication and provided displays of equipment and their services, such as the Michigan State Police Bomb Squad, the Michigan Citizens Corps and the Red Cross.
Brown was impressed by a tour of the facility and said that every business and large corporation, especially the automotive industry, should train and take advantage of CREST.
“Every business in Michigan ought to come here to see this, because they ought to figure out ways that they can participate in this facility either through contributions through training for their employees, or training for their community,” Brown said.
“Because it’s going to help make every part of Michigan safe from whatever, whether its mother- nature, whether its terrorism, this facility is going to help get that done.”
Brown was particularly intrigued by the fact that CREST operates on a regional basis and that every first responder, such as fire fighters, law enforcement, public health, public works, and citizens, can come together to one place and train in real-life situations.
For the past three decades, OCC has become known its firm discipline and training police, fire and emergency service personnel training in Oakland County.