Dean B. Kazinci, Township Manager
Township of Teaneck, New Jersey
Capstone Title: Municipal Preparedness: Bakken Oil Critical Railroad Incident

Dean’s Capstone project assessed the readiness, preparedness, and resourcefulness of the Township of Teaneck as a municipality to handle a critical railroad incident involving the transportation of Bakken Crude Oil and other combustible materials on the CSX River Line. Through research and assessments, Dean was able to identify deficiencies and focus on the resources and training needed to ready Teaneck for a critical incident. Some of the topics of focus were, incident command, Emergency Management, identifying evacuation routes, mutual aid assistance, activating an audible alert warning system, opening an Emergency Operations Center, and the preservation of life and property. As a result of this Capstone Project, Dean was able to initiate, secure, and fund several assets that will better prepare Teaneck’s emergency services and provide the residents peace of mind by knowing that their families, property, and community are protected each time a freight train travels through Teaneck.

New Hampshire CPM Program Director, Dr. Ginger Lever, nominated a group capstone project to receive the Askew Award for 2109. The winners of the award were Jeff Whitney and Kurt Ekstrom. The two graduates work for the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. DHHS is the State’s largest agency.  It has an array of diverse programs with multiple funding streams and reporting requirements. There are 16 sub-units in all ranging from 24 / 7 operations of two health care facilities to Juvenile Justice and from Public Health Laboratories to Elderly and Adult Services.

Jeff and Kurt started by examining the needs in the Department. They found that Financial matters were handled well but could be improved.  They also learned that like most large agencies, NH DHHS had its own nuances to how financial transactions would move through the agency. Their Capstone Project created a Finance Academy for the entire agency. The program includes educational modules but also a knowledge malmanagement and transfer process.