After two bomb threats last month, a bomb expert is arriving on campus to help USM Police train faculty and staff in evacuation procedures and identifying explosives. Police Chief Lisa Beecher has secured the services of Tim Culbert, president of New England Chemical and Explosive Disposal, Inc., a company that specializes in bombs and other hazards.
Culbert retired from the Maine State Police in 1998 after 20 years of service as a homicide and major crimes detective, an academy instructor and a founding member of the State Police Bomb Squad. In 1994 he attended the Army’s Redstone Arsenal Hazardous Devices School in Huntsville, Alabama, considered the best program for training explosive technicians. In 1995, Culbert attended the FBI’s Post-Blast Investigator’s School in Boston.
Culbert’s three-hour Explosive Search and ID course is based on oral, video and power point presentations. Topics he addresses include “sweeping” buildings for explosives, alerting proper authorities for bomb removal, appropriate emergency response, and effective evacuation procedures.
“We asked staff to volunteer (for emergency response),” said Craig Hutchinson, vice-president of Student and University Life Craig Hutchinson, “but we had no orientation or presentation to help train, and some discomfort was expressed that they weren’t qualified.”
Faculty from many departments will be asked to attend, including office staff, administrative assistants and Facilities Management. “They are the most familiar with these buildings.day in and day out,” he said.
Hutchinson said the university has always had a policy for pooling volunteer faculty at the time of an incident. “At any given time, there is only one [officer on duty] on either campus,” he said and added that Gorham and Portland campuses had over 100 buildings combined.
After Culbert’s training, Hutchinson said he expects volunteers to feel more comfortable assisting if a threat occurs. “It’s a way to be better prepared in the event that this incident happens again.”
The Student and University Life office is funding the class, paying per person. Hutchinson said an exact figure has not yet been calculated, but it would not disrupt his office’s budget. “There’s a certain amount of contingency, like every budget should have. I view this as a good use of contingency.I don’t expect it to be an exorbitant amount of money.”
Beecher attended a presentation by Culbert at Bates for a Maine College and University Security Directors Association (MCUSDA) training session. She chose him to train at USM instead of representatives from the State Police or the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF). “In my mind there was no need to go anywhere else,” said Beecher. Culbert will be holding his first class at the Gorham campus Nov. 15 and a Portland campus class on Nov. 29. u