BATON ROUGE, La  – The Louisiana Emergency Preparedness Association (LEPA) and the Governors Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) held its 29^th annual conference June 2 through June 5, 2008 in Baton Rouge.

LEPA is a non-profit statewide organization of emergency preparedness and response practitioners with the common goal of improving public safety in emergencies. LEPA was formed in 1980 by a group of local civil defense directors who recognized the need to expand and incorporate personnel in emergency service organizations into a cohesive and production association.

The three day conference consisted of workshops in emergency services. It also allowed vendors from around the state to exhibit their products and interact with decision makers in emergency management field.

Governor Bobby Jindal addressed the some 250 LEPA members in attendance on Tuesday and commended them for their effort and dedication to emergency services in the State of Louisiana.  

Wednesday the LEPA members had a surprise visit by Senator John McCain, as he was in town to campaign for the 2008 presidential election. Senator McCain thanked the LEPA members for their support in emergency services provided to Louisianans.

“This is an excellent opportunity to expand our education in the emergency field,” said Mark Cooper, Director, GOHSEP, “Learning is knowledge, and with this knowledge we can be better prepared as a State and as emergency responders.”