The 1st Amendment - My favorite part of being an American

Hometown:

Asheville, NC

I Live: (City, State)

Bluffton, SC

Years in Fire/EMS:

34

Why I Joined the Fire/EMS:

A 3rd grade field trip to Asheville's downtown station hooked me for life. Two busloads of us came back to school wanting to be firefighters, but I'm the only one of the 80 that actually did it.

Relationship Status:

Married

Department Type:

Fire/Rescue Department - Volunteer

Rank/Role There:

Battalion Chief / Division Chief, Training Officer, Firefighter / Paramedic (or Other ALS), Hazardous Materials Team Member

Years With This Department/Agency

6

Second Department (if appl.)

Hilton Head-Bluffton USAR RRT-4

2nd Department Type:

Other Response Agency Type

Rank/Role at Second Department:

Safety Officer, Firefighter / Paramedic (or Other ALS)

Years With Second Department/Agency

3

Other Past or Current Departments:

Mt. Aetna VFD, Hagerstown, MD
Tri-Community VFD, Collegedale, TN
Highway 58 VFD, Harrison, TN
Bradley County EMS, TN
Chattanooga-Hamilton County Rescue, TN
Hamilton County EMS, TN
Hamilton County Hazmat Team, TN
McMinn County EMS, TN
Chattanooga Fire Department
Greenville County Technical Rescue, SC
Greenville County Hazmat Team
Greenville County COBRA Team
1996 Atlanta Olympic Games Swifwater Rescue Team
2000 Olympic Team Trials Swiftwater Rescue Team Leader

My Training:

M.P.A. Public Administration
B.P.S. Fire Administration
A.S. Paramedic
IFSAC FF II
Tennessee Journeyman FF
Fire Instructor
South Carolina, Tennessee, and National Registry Paramedic
Hazardous Materials Technician
WMD TERT
USAR Rescue Specialist
Technical Rescue Instructor
Extrication Instructor (Basic, Advanced, Bus, Big Rig, Instructor Trainer)
Swiftwater Rescue Instructor
Incident Command (NIMS) Instructor
Unified Command Instructor
ICS for Structural Collapse Instructor
Farmedic Instructor

About Me:

I'm living proof that rookies can survive their own stupidity through good luck.

Side Jobs or Other Organizations:

Adjunct Faculty Instructor - South Carolina FIre Academy
Water Rescue Technical Development Committee - S.C. Fire Academy
Rope Rescue Technical Development Committee - S.C. Fire Academy
Hilton Head-Bluffton Hazmat/COBRA Team
Tennessee Rescue College Instructor

Top Issues Facing Responders:

Firefighter Safety
All-Hazard Response
Funding Inadequacies
Turf Wars

I Love Being in Fire/EMS Because:

I get to work with some of the best people on the planet.