GROUND ZERO

On a sunny, spring morning in April of 1995, everything changed for us. Heard 20 miles away in peaceful Norman, Oklahoma, the deadly explosion of the Oklahoma City Federal Building awakened us to the crucial, life-saving role of first responders and their highly trained rescue dogs. In the years that followed, we saw devastating tornados batter our neighboring community of Moore. Finally, when the 9/11 terrorist attacks stunned our nation, we knew we’d heard the message loud and clear: We realized that, here in the Heartland, we have not only the opportunity, but also the responsibility, to enable an efficient and effective response to such natural and man-made disasters. We were struck by a vision: of a centrally located facility that could supply the critical shortage of qualified search and rescue dogs, where first responders could hone their technical skills, and where these teams could be kept at the ready for immediate deployment. That vision comes to life at Ground Zero.

Ground Zero Emergency Training Center, an Oklahoma, 501(c)3 non-profit organization, is on a mission to strengthen emergency response to natural and man-made disasters at the local, state and national level. We will do this by providing:
• a state-of-the-art training facility that effectively replicates disaster conditions
• highly trained and unstoppable urban-search-and-rescue dogs
• advanced education and support for our heroic first responders

We hope you’ll join us in making it happen.