Recognizing the 25th Anniversary of the Center for Domestic Preparedness

Floor Speech

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Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 25th Anniversary of the Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP), which will be celebrated on June 7th.

On June 1, 1998, the Center opened its doors to America's first responders in Calhoun County, Alabama. During the past 25 years, the staff of the CDP have provided essential all hazards training to first responders from all 50 states, every U.S. territory, and numerous tribal nations, enabling them to plan for, respond to and recover from natural and man-made disasters.

Its multifaceted campus includes the Nation's only toxic agent training facility for civilian responders to gain the competence and confidence to respond to real world events involving chemical, biological, explosive, radiological, and other hazardous materials. It also includes the only hospital facility in the Nation dedicated solely to training healthcare professionals in disaster preparedness and response. In addition, it has served as a Joint Field Office for tornado response efforts in the state of Alabama and a personnel mobilization center for responders being forward deployed to presidentially declared disasters across the Nation.

Today, the CDP is under the umbrella of the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency and further helps ensure a safe and resilient Nation by serving as the primary location for the training of FEMA's incident workforce.

I am pleased to recognize the staff of the Center for Domestic Preparedness for reaching this important milestone and look forward to witnessing its continued service to the Nation. I am especially pleased to recognize Superintendent Tony Russell for his years of service to the CDP.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in recognizing the CDP on this exciting milestone in its history.

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