Facility Safety Summit Session 2: Facility Disaster & Emergency Preparedness
Date: Thursday, October 22, 2026 at 12:00pm ET / 11:00am CT / 9:00am PT
Facility Safety Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Personal Liability examines the expanding role of facilities services and public works in emergency management, from routine operations through catastrophic response. Led by Dr. Dennis A. Terpin, retired senior industrial hygienist, hospital safety officer, and emergency manager at the University of Illinois Chicago. The session traces how public works and facility services earned formal first-responder status in 2003 by Homeland Security Presidential Directive 8 (HSPD-8). Officially acknowledged public works departments as first responders and what that designation demands in practice. Participants will learn the unique roles facilities play across the five mission areas of prevention, protection, mitigation, response, and recovery, and how a facilities agency can shape resource allocation and community lifeline priorities. The session describes day to day work activities and disaster responses within the scope of ESF #3, the National Preparedness Goal, the National Response Framework, NIMS resource typing and credentialing and the Incident Command System.
The session ends with a look at the hazards that put facilities personnel at risk and the liability that follows when controls fail. The session closes with a candid look at employer and personal liability whether public employers can be sued for damages outside workers' compensation, anchored with the review of 3 confined space case histories. In March 2026 the Illinois Appellate ruled in Heiden v. Village of Westmont denied the village tort immunity. Attendees will leave with a better understanding why proactive planning, a designated competent person and following documented procedures are necessary to safeguard the worksite.
AGENDA:
11:00am ET / 10:00am CT / 8:00am PT
Session One: Facility Safety Standards Updates
Learn More Here
Register for this free Summit!
DATE: Thursday, October 22, 2026
TIME:12:00pm ET / 11:00am CT / 9:00am PT
About the Speaker:
Dennis A. Terpin, PhD, OHST, EMT-P
Dr. Terpin, Author, International Speaker, Certified Fire Officer is the Retired Senior Industrial Hygienist and Emergency Manager at The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), He is a master level instructor for FEMA/DHS at the Center for Domestic Preparedness, and a guest lecture at The UIC School of Health and The University of Illinois Occupational Medical Residency Program, ASSP Safety Focus, Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) Global Learning Summit BCSP, ACGIH Learning Pass, OH&S On-line, AGCIH webinars.
Dr. Terpin is the recipient of the 2014, Illinois Emergency Management Agency-Emergency Management Achievement Award, the 7- Gold Level DHS/FEMA/Center for Domestic Preparedness Excellence in the Training Program Instructor award and five Center for Domestic Preparedness 5.0 Perfect Instructor Awards. He was also honored with the Campus Safety, Health, and Environmental Management Association (CSHEMA) 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award. Currently he is the lead instructor for the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement in the Lahaina wildlife recovery efforts.
Duration: 1 hour
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