PhD Cornell University (1996, City and Regional Planning)
MRP Cornell University (1994, City and Regional Planning)
MS John Jay College of Criminal Justice (1990, Fire Protection Management)
BS University of Maryland at College Park (1986, Journalism)
AS Montgomery College (1984, Fire Science)
Charles Jennings is Associate Professor in the Department of Security, Fire, and Emergency Management. He teaches in the graduate program in Emergency Management and Protection Management and the Bachelor's in Emergency Setvices Administration. He currently serves as Program Director for the Master's in Emergency Management program. Jenings led the introduction of the first graduate course offerings in emergency management in the New York area in 2000. Jennings has a career that balanced academic and practioner positions in fire and emergency management including serving as Deputy Commissioner of Public Safety for the City of White Plains, NY (2002-2008) and Chair of the Board of Fire Commissioners of the City of Ithaca, NY (1993-1996). He served as Director of Emergency Management and Acting Fire Chief in White Plains. While in White Plains he oversaw many innovations including installation of mobile computer terminals in both police and fire vehicles, enhanced training, new equipment, and oversaw the Department's $40+ million budget. He was a member of the Westchester County Emergency Medical Setvices Advisory Board. He has conducted research on numerous topics, many related to public policy issues and the fire service. He also serves as Director of the College's Christian Regenhard Center for Emergency Response Studies.
Jennings was a founding professional advisor to the Skyscraper Safety Campaign (SSC), where he supported advocacy for improved building codes and requirements for tall building in New York City. He is an Alternate to the National Fire Protection Association's High Rise Building Safety Advisory Committee (HRBSAC), formed in the wake of post-9/11 advocacy. HRBSAC continues to make recommendations to building and fire safety code committees and develops guidance documents for building operators and users.
FIS 350 Management Applications in Fire Protection
FIS 401 Seminar in Fire Protection Problems
PMT 725 Seminar in Emergency Management
PMT 763 Emergency Management: Preparedness
PMT 781 Risk Analysis and Loss Prevention
National Fire Protection Association
Society for Risk Analysis
Urban and Regional Information Systems Association
Associated Public Safety Communications Officers
American Society for Quality
International City/County Management Association
Institution of Fire Engineers
International Association of Emergency Management
International Command and Control Institute
Persaud, Eric and Charles Jennings. “Pilot Study on Risk Perceptions and Knowledge of Fentanyl Exposure Among New York State First Responders.” Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness. 2019. Doi:10.1917/dmp.2019.95
Jennings, Charles et al. Guide for Communicating Emergency Response Information for Natural Gas and Hazardous Liquids Pipelines. HMCRP Report 14, Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, Washington, DC: 2014. (http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/hmcrp/hmcrp_rpt_014.pdf)
Clare, Joseph, Len Garis, Darryl Plecas, and Charles Jennings. “Reduced frequency and severity of residential fires following delivery of fire prevention education by on-duty firefighters: Cluster randomized controlled study.” Journal of Safety Research. Vol. 43, Issue 2, April 2012, pp. 123-128.
Thiel, Adam and Charles R. Jennings, Editors, Managing Fire and Emergency Services. Washington, DC: International City/County Management Association, 2012.
"High-Rise Office Building Evacuation Planning: Human Factors versus "Cutting Edge" Technologies." Journal of Applied Fire Science, Vol. 4, no. 4. (1995)
Chief Fire Officer designee, Center for Public Safety Excellence
Fellow, Institution of Fire Engineers
City of White Plains Mayoral Proclamation, “Charles Jennings Day” January 22, 2008
Charles Jennings conducts research in several areas. More recently, he studies response to and initial management of complex incidents including active shooter, bombing, and technologic failures. This includes development of after action reports on events including the Pulse Nightclub shooting, Marjorie Stoneman Douglas school shooting, Boston Marathon bombing, and several major high-rise fires. He also studies and publishes on community fire risk and public safety policy in the areas of resource deployment and analysis using Goegrraphic Information Systems (GIS). He is interested in promoting evidence based practice and collaborative problem solving in government, and the emergency management and response community.