PROFESSIONAL PROFILE                               KEN KERNS

 EDUCATION

        B.S., Zoology, Weber State College

        M.S., Zoology, Iowa State University

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIP

        National Fire Protection Agency

        National Health Physics Society

        North Central Chapter, Health Physics Society

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATION AND REGISTRATION  

        Certified Infrastructure Protection Specialist 

CAREER SUMMARY 

Mr. Kerns is a safety professional with twenty years of experience in radiation safety and emergency response planning.  Areas of expertise include radiological emergency response, emergency plans, exercise planning and control, safety and technical training, and site remediation.  

EXERCISES 

Mr. Kerns has been involved in exercise development at the local, state and national level.  He has planned and coordinated national level full field exercises involving several hundred emergency responders.  He is a FEMA designated “trusted agent” for the State of Iowa and is a qualified FEMA exercise evaluator.  

EMERGENCY PLANNING AND RESPONSE

 Mr. Kerns has extensive experience in emergency response planning and served on the operational working groups for several national level emergency response teams.  As a Naval Officer serving in the Defense Nuclear Agency, he headed the Health Physics Response of the Defense Nuclear Agency Advisory Team and the Medical Radiation Advisory Team.  Upon separating from the Navy, he worked as a contractor to the Department of Energy and managed the Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Team.  He also served on the planning groups for the Nuclear Emergency Search Team and the Accident Response Group (tasked with the civilian response to a nuclear weapon accident). 

He also serves as a consultant to the International Atomic Energy Agency and helped develop several radiological emergency response procedure manuals.  Because of his expertise in emergency response planning, the IAEA requested his help in preparing response plans for developing countries.  

TRAINING

 Mr. Kerns is an accomplished trainer with excellent communication skills.  His comfortable style of teaching and his ability to effectively communicate difficult concepts, allow class participants to retain the information while enjoying the class.  He is an approved OSHA General Industry Outreach Trainer and has conducted training internationally for the IAEA. 

Radiation Safety  

Mr. Kerns has expertise in radiation safety and served as the Iowa State University Radiation Safety Officer for seven years.  He is active in the Health Physics Society and is past President of the North Central Chapter of the Health Physics Society.  He is also a member of the Iowa Radiological Emergency Response Steering Committee. He has delivered radiation safety presentations to community groups at the request of the Iowa Department of Public Health, to help residents understand the radiological risks at contamination sites.