Hello! Thanks for checking out my blog. I had the privilege of serving with the outstanding men and women of the Chesterfield (VA) Fire & EMS (CFEMS) Department for 26 years. My career as a fire officer is somewhat unique in that I spent a cumulative total of 9+ years in staff officer positions as: Director of EMS Division; Co-Manager of Emergency Communications Center (911); and Director of Training & Safety Division. I also served multiple tours of duty in the department’s Emergency Operations Division.
I’m proud to have earned a master’s degree in Executive Fire Service Leadership from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, AZ. It took me 17 years to do so–working full-time and such–but I finally completed my bachelor of science degree in Fire and Safety Engineering Technology from the University of Cincinnati (Go Bearcats!). Lastly, I’m a 2001 graduate of the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program.
My post-retirement career has included: operational and planning consultant working with a private sector EMS agency; staff instructor and course developer with the Georgia Fire Academy; and private sector consulting with Department of Defense and federal agencies that included the U.S. Army’s Installation Management Command, Fire & Emergency Services Branch.
My most rewarding post-fire service position is my current one where I’m the Operations Chief for the Fire Service Psychology Association (FSPA). At FSPA, fire service leaders (Like myself), psychologist, masters-level clinicians, and researchers are working to build a bridge between professional psychology and the fire service.
Since I started this blog in 2012, I’ve also had the opportunity to “earn my chops” as a free-lance writer and my articles have appeared on FireRescue1.com and EMS1.com. I’ve also had the opportunity to create online content for private clients in the fire and EMS world. Check out that work on my Journo Portfolio.
