Instructors

NCC Training /NES

Biography : Mr. Bucklin is Founder of NES and served as President and CEO of Network Environmental Systems, Inc. (NES) October 2020. He founded the company in 1988, to develop a professional environmental compliance services company. He is responsible for jointly developing the company’s environmental compliance services and managing the business operation activities. He provides program development and instructs many of the technical courses offered by NES. Mr. Bucklin has thirty-two (38) years of experience providing hazardous waste management, hazardous material transportation, and environmental consulting services to a broad spectrum of governmental agencies and private industry. A well-respected professional on several disciplines in the environmental regulatory field, he provides regular training on Clandestine Drug Lab Safety Certification, Site Safety Officer Certification at the U.S. Department of Justice Training Center in Quantico, Virginia. He has direct experience in hazardous materials handling, occupational safety, chemical emergency preparedness, and environmental compliance. He has spoken at numerous international law enforcement conferences on the hazards of clandestine laboratories and has been a repeated Plenary Speaker and Keynote Speaker at national law enforcement conferences since 2005. His operational background, technical experience, training background, regulatory knowledge, and industry management experience enables him to assist law enforcement with advice and services matching the needs of each agency. Mr. Bucklin has technical expertise in the development and presentation of clandestine laboratory safety certification training programs. Mr. Bucklin has presented to prosecuting attorneys at the Criminal Justice Academy in Columbia, South Carolina and has provided expert witness testimony for prosecuting attorneys for the U.S. Department of Justice for the Western and Middle Districts of Tennessee. Training services have been provided to agency representatives from twelve (12) different countries and have been presented in the United States, Canada, England, Czech Republic, Australia and Jamaica. He has served as an environmental consultant and company–specific compliance guidance document author for several of the largest law enforcement agencies in North America. Mr. Bucklin has served on numerous advisory boards and committees with varying capacities, as well as received outstanding service awards, outstanding instructor awards, and outstanding performance awards from private industry, universities, and governmental agencies. Mr. Bucklin has responded at over 300 illicit drug labs. Mr. Bucklin has presented drug lab safety training since 1988 to over 109,000 local, state, and federal narcotic officers throughout the United States, at the U.S. Department of Justice Training Center and the FBI Academy, as well as agents from other countries. DEA-Certified to provide Clandestine Laboratory Safety Certification training. Mr. Bucklin was an instructor under NES’ contract with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to provide safety training to federal, state, and local law enforcement officers from throughout the U.S. Mr. Bucklin provides instructions on the safe entry, assessment, and processing of clandestine laboratories involving a wide variety of illicit drug manufacturing methods. He has co-developed and presented this training program From1988-2023 and has received numerous awards and commendations from the DEA. National Guard Counterdrug Training. Mr. Bucklin has developed and presented Clan Lab Certification training for state and local officers throughout the United States for the National Guard’s facility in Iowa (MCTC), Pennsylvania (NCTC) and Florida (MCTFT). These programs have included Basic Certification, Site Safety Officer training, Marijuana Indoor Grow Operations and Re-Certification. Included in these programs are field guides he developed along with the exercises and exams to facilitate actual field procedures to be implemented by law enforcement personnel. This training was first offered in 2002 and continues to be a regular course for all these National Guard programs. International Clan Lab Training. Mr. Bucklin has developed and presented one week illegal Drug Manufacturing, Safety training for the Country of Jamaica (at the U.S. Embassy). This program was provided to National Directors of Health, Environmental, Fire and Law Enforcement personnel. He has traveled to Canada each year since 2001 to provide Vancouver PD and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Basic Clan Lab Safety Certification training. Presented 2 week-long Basic Certification Programs for London Metropolitan Police in 2007 thru 2020 presented at the 1st Global Meth Conference in Prague-Czech Republic in 2008. Expert Witness Testimony. Mr. Bucklin has provided expert witness testimony for the U.S. Department of Justice, Western District of Tennessee (Case #03-20178D) March 2004 and the Middle District of Tennessee (Case #03-20036B) November 2003. Mr. Bucklin was contacted by Scott F. Leary (AUSA) and Thomas A. Colthurst (AUSA) to provide testimony on the manufacturing of methamphetamine and the chemical hazards related to the methods of manufacturing. The Ammonia Method was used in one case and the Red Phosphorous Method was the manufacturing method of choice used in the second case. Plenary and Keynote Speaker. Mr. Bucklin was the Plenary Speaker at the South Carolina Conference on Substance Abuse in December 2008. This conference was attended by Law Enforcement, Social Workers and Child Protective Services. Mr. Bucklin was invited as the guest Keynote speaker for the National Drug Enforcement Officers Association (NDEOA) at their annual meeting held in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina in July 2006. His talk on the continued vigilance and safety issues involved in clandestine laboratory manufacturing was delivered to narcotic officers throughout the Eastern United States. NDEOA is the oldest functioning Narcotics Officers Association in the United States. Mr. Bucklin spoke as the Plenary guest speaker at Francis Marion University for the Florence Area Methamphetamine Conference in May 2005. His talk addressed the Social Impacts and Environmental Aspects of Methamphetamine use in the United States. His audience was a mixture of social workers and law enforcement personnel. Special Operations Training Association (SWAT). Mr. Bucklin presented the salient points of the OSHA 29 CFR 1910.120(q) standard and how it applies to Special Operations Personnel that enter unknown or suspected illicit drug labs. This Tenth Annual Tactical Training Conference was sponsored by the Special Operations Training Association (SOTA) of the Upper Midwest Region of Minnesota in March 2005. This program’s content was primarily devoted to the choices law enforcement have in their approaches to identify and protect themselves from the chemical hazards during tactical entry (SWAT) operations. International Training Seminar and Law Enforcement Expositions. Mr. Bucklin along with a representative from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Special Agent John Cotner, presented a one-day program on the history of Clandestine Drug Laboratories in the United States, the evolution of various methods of manufacturing and current U.S. trends. The American Society for Law Enforcement Training (ASLET)sponsored this weeklong conference in January 2005 in Jacksonville, Florida. During the program a basic overview of the types of laboratories encountered and chemicals used was covered. Specific information on the responsibilities of the Site Safety Officer was covered in detail. CUPA Guidance Document Development. NES was contracted by the CUPA Forum Board in 2015 to write and develop a Statewide guidance document for the CUPA’s regarding the six primary enforcement areas they are responsible for overseeing and providing enforcement with. This was a collaboration with NES staff, and representatives from the various CUPAs throughout the State. Presenter at National Conferences. Mr. Bucklin has been contracted annually since 1994 by DEA to provide Clan Lab Re-Certification training at the annual Clandestine Laboratory Investigator Association (CLIA) Conference in Sacramento, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Calgary, Des Moines, Orlando, San Antonio, Albuquerque, Nashville, Omaha, Denver, Columbus, Ohio, Charlotte, North Carolina and Hawaii. This program is similar in format and content to the program he has taught for California Narcotics Officers Association (CNOA), Alabama Narcotic Officers Association (ANOA), American Society of Law Enforcement Training (ASLET) in January of 2005, The Academy of Hazardous Materials Managers (ACHMM) in Las Vegas (2005) and Minneapolis (2008), and the annual Continuing Challenge Conference in Sacramento (presented 1995 to present). Office of Legal Education-Executive Office for the United States Attorneys. Mr. Bucklin was asked to present on the Environmental Health and Safety Issues surrounding Clandestine Laboratories at the National Advocacy Center in Columbia South Carolina. This Methamphetamine Conference was held in July of 2006 for sixty-five prosecuting attorneys with the U.S. Department of Justice. His presentation focused on the environmental crimes of illegal dumping of hazardous wastes provided during the manufacturing of methamphetamine and the law enforcement and social impacts of safety related to the chemical contamination. The National Advocacy Center was “tremendously grateful” for the contributions provided by Mr. Bucklin for the content and format of his presentation. Facilitator for the California Compliance School, California Environmental Protection Agency. Mr. Bucklin was one of a select few contract instructors for Cal-EPA, instructing businesses, and regulatory agencies on hazardous waste management requirements in California. He has presented this program throughout the state from 1995 through 1998. He has assisted in the updating of the program and was certified to teach all five of the school’s modules. Author of Environmental Pocket Guides. Mr. Bucklin worked directly with environmental staff professionals and developed a practical law enforcement pocket guide for field crews. This pocket guide provides regulatory guidance in practical text specific to law enforcement responding to clandestine laboratories compliance issues. These field guides are updated annually to provide the latest guidance in Health and Safety, US DOT Regulation, Hazardous Waste Management, as well as emergency response guidelines, phone numbers, and checklists. Over 88,000 field personnel have adopted this pocket guide as a ready reference tool for Narcotic Officers and Law Enforcement Personnel. Developed the Clan Lab Re-Certifier. Authored the Clan Lab Re-certifier program provided by DEA at the Site Safety Certification program in Quantico, Virginia. This program is an instructor package that provides program warm up exercises, a PowerPoint program, exam, student handouts, instructor instructions and fit test equipment. This program is a comprehensive package to allow trained Site Safety officers the ability to provide annual Re-Certification training. Development and instruction on environmental management courses for numerous University of California extension programs, and United States Department of Justice. Mr. Bucklin has developed and instructed environmental management, transportation, and hazardous waste management programs for the University of California Extension Department in Environmental Management at U.C. Davis, U.C. Irvine, U.C. Berkley, U.C. Riverside, and U.C. Santa Barbara. He served on the advisory board for the Certificate Program at U.C. Davis, from 1993–1998. He developed a hazardous waste management program for the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). This program has been presented throughout the United States since 1989. Recipient of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Grant. Mr. Bucklin and NES received a $500,000 grant to develop an online web-based training grant for First Responder Training for agency personnel at risk of chemical exposure to meth labs, as well as provide classroom presentations of the same material. This grant enabled NES to develop a 4- hour cd training program to be made available for law enforcement agencies that illustrate the unique hazards of meth labs.

Sean Bidabe

Biography : Sean Bidabe has been a driving force in the Environmental and Emergency Response industry since 1991, bringing over 30 years of exceptional leadership, innovation, and dedication to protecting both the environment and public health. His career is distinguished by successfully guiding large-scale environmental projects all while maintaining the highest standards of safety and sustainability.

Mark Bridges

Biography : Mark retired from the Santa Monica Fire Department in July, 2014 as a Battalion Chief and Hazardous Materials Specialist. He currently serves as a Senior Instructor with the Industrial Emergency Council/IEC, teaching all the hazmat classes on the CSTI roster and other specialized courses. Mark's extensive work experience as a firefighter, fire captain, battalion chief, paramedic, and hazardous materials specialist and formidable experience as an innovator of ideas, including the introduction of a creative learning environment to the classroom, all add to making the classes he teaches first rate. Some of his many accomplishments include being the first paramedic to teach the EMT course in Ventura County, being the first paramedic in the City of Camarillo and being selected firefighter of the year twice. Mark also developed and coordinated several regional hazmat exercises in Los Angeles County and beyond. Many of these exercises received recognition and funding from the Department of Homeland Security. At his retirement from Santa Monica FD, Mark was presented with a California State Assembly Proclamation for his work in the field of hazardous materials response.

Kazami Brockman

Biography : Kazami Brockman is an On-Scene Coordinator for US EPA Region 9. He joined the agency in 2023, and worked as a technical consultant (Superfund Technical Assessment and Response Team, START) for the Region 9 EPA Emergency Response Section prior to that. He is assisted in presenting the sampling course by foremost experts within the the EPA Emergency Response Section, START consultants, and the Environmental Response Team (ERT).

Michael Brogan

Biography : Michael is a Press Officer in Region 9’s Office of Public Affairs covering Northern California. In his role, Michael coordinates with different divisions and EPA Headquarters on writing press releases, responding to media inquiries, assisting with media and community outreach efforts, and supporting EPA Emergency Response efforts as a Public Information Officer. Additionally, Michael serves as a Special Emphasis Program Manager for the Experienced Federal Workers (E-FEDS) Employment Program in Region 9. Michael entered federal service in February 1991 as a member of the Air Force. He has 30 years of experience in public affairs as a public affairs specialist, radio show host, television and radio reporter, newscast anchor, and Public Affairs Officer. He served in the Air Force for nearly 24 years before retiring in 2014, then worked as a DoD government civil servant for an additional five years in Tokyo, Japan. Prior to joining EPA in July 2022, Michael was a Public Affairs Officer for the VA Sierra Nevada Health Care System from 2019 to 2022.

C Scott Bunning

Biography : Scott has been with AristaTek for nearly 10 years as their Director of Marketing and Sales. In that time, he has trained 1000's of PEAC users all over the world on best practices in using the PEAC software in hazmat and CBRN scenarios.

Patti Carter

Biography : Patti retired in June as a Regional Disaster Medical Health Specialist for Cal OES Mutual Aid Region III. In her 20 years in Emergency Management, she has responded in leadership positions to many different types of events. Patti is currently an Outreach Instructor for CSTI, teaching in the areas of Emergency Management and Hazardous Materials. Patti has presented at many conferences at the local, State and National levels over the years, including Continuing Challenge. In a previous career, Patti was a high school band director and is still playing her bass trombone in bands.

Paul Christensen

Biography : Paul Christensen works for the Utah State Fire Marshal's Office in the hazardous materials section. Paul has served in the fire service since 2000, specializing in wildland fire suppression, then shifting his interest to hazardous materials. After completion of the hazardous materials technician program, Paul found his interest in radiation and radiological response. Curiosity being the driving force, Paul has spent the past 10 years honing his knowledge surrounding radiation incident response to help responders understand some of the basics when the call comes in. Over the years Paul has taught several courses concerning radiation response throughout the State of Utah and has also coordinated courses for other US first responders within the exclusion zone of Chernobyl Ukraine. Paul started teaching within the fire community in 2005 in the State of Utah. Since then, he has taught numerous subjects including wildland fire suppression, recruitment school for structural firefighting, hazardous materials response, and a variety of Emergency Medical Services programs. Paul started teaching within the fire community in 2005 within the state of Utah. He has taught courses around numerous subjects including wildland fire, recruit school, and he has also been involved in education for Emergency Medical Services. Previous to transitioning to the Fire Marshal's Office, he worked as a firefighter and paramedic, serving the people within the community.

Robert Dunivin

Biography : Robert Dunivin has over 30 years fire service experience 22 of it with the Los Angles Fire Department. Currently Robert serves as a Fire Captain and has been assigned to the LAFD CBRNE/Hazmat Section JHAT Unit for the last 7 years. Robert has been a Hazmat Technician/ Specialist for most of his Fire Service Career and is also a Hazmat Specialist on CATF-1. He is also is a CSTI and CSFM Certified instructors and teaches a variety of subject throughout the State. Robert also serves as the Secretary for the Firescope Hazmat Sub-committee.

Alex Efros

Biography : Alex Efros serves in the California National Army Guard's as the Commander of 95th Civil Support Team (Weapons of Mass Destruction). The primary purpose of the 95th CST is to Identify unknown substances, assess current and future hazard consequences, advise and provide technical expertise to first responders, law enforcement, and a variety of other state and federal agencies and assist with requesting follow on resources. 95th WMD CST provides on-site field confirmatory analysis to determine any potential chemical, biological or radiological threats. Alex began his military career in 1994 immediately after high school and went on to serve six years in the active duty Army as a combat medic and medical lab technician. He then joined the California National Guard as a Russian linguist and interrogator while attending college classes full-time. He was commissioned in the California National Guard after earning a Bachelor’s degrees in Biology 2004. Alex joined active Active Guard Reserve WMD CST program in the 2009 and served in multiple positions on the CST in New York, and California. Alex also holds a Masters' of Science in Public Health.

FERNANDO FLOREZ

Biography : Fernando Florez is an Assistant Chief with the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD), Health Hazardous Materials Division, Emergency Operations Section. Fernando’s 32 years of experience in the County of Los Angeles include 4 years as an Environmental Health Specialist in the Department of Public Health; 12 years in the CUPA Program as an inspector and supervisor, 8 years supervising the CUPA’s Investigations Unit, and the last 7 years as the Assistant Chief of emergency response. He holds a Master’s Degree in Environmental and Occupational Health, from Cal State University Northridge .

James Farner

Biography : James Farner-BNSF Railway-Manager Hazardous Materials Field Operations & Emergency Response

Alan Finkelstein

Biography : Alan Finkelstein retired in 2016 after 34 years in the fire service. He had worked for the Strongsville Fire and Emergency Services Department in Ohio since 1986. Mr. Finkelstein performed inspections, code enforcement, responded to fire and hazardous material emergencies, develops and implements emergency plans, , and serves on county and state advisory committees as a subject matter expert on topics such as hazardous materials, WMD and continuity of operations. His background also includes extensive experience in emergency response, command and control, and emergency planning.. Mr. Finkelstein is vice chair of the Cuyahoga County Local Emergency Planning Committee and sits on the Emergency Management Advisory Board, and is a member of the International Association of Firefighters, the International Association of Fire Chiefs and the Ohio Association of Professional Firefighters. He is also a member of the National Tribal Emergency Management Council and the NationalTriba l Toxics councylSince 1993 Mr. Finkelstein has been a USEPA certified CAMEO instructor. He has been an instructor and course developer for Louisiana State University’s CAMEO training program since 2003 and has presented programs at numerous hazmat and emergency planning conferences including one in India. Alan also is a hazmat instructor at the Center for Domestic Preparedness.

Kim Fletcher

Biography : Ms. Kim Fletcher brings more than 40 years of experience in emergency management. Her focus has been emergency response operations and policy development for federal, state and local emergency management programs. Her clients include the Federal Emergency Management Agency, US Environmental Protection Agency, US Coast Guard, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the National Capital Region, as well as other state and local government agencies. She has advised agency executive and senior leadership on emergency response, conflict resolution, concept of operations and contingency planning, catastrophic-disaster response planning. missions. She currently is leading After Action analysis of Hurricanes Milton and Helene. While she was at EPA, she was a court appointed mediator for Superfund cleanup cases. She received numerous awards for her planning and emergency management leadership from EPA for oil and hazardous chemical response, including multiple Bronze and Silver Awards and an EPA Gold Medal for her leadership during disasters. Ms. Fletcher is an expert, certified Master Facilitator and Mediator. She has extensive experience with large and small group facilitation and she has facilitated standards development processes, including initial development of Emergency Support Functions (ESFs) 10, 8, and 3. She led aspects of the consensus standard development for the emergency management standards for the National Fire Protection Association Standards for Emergency Management and Business Continuity as well as being a member of the Technical Committee for the Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP) which is responsible for the development and maintenance and update of the EMAP Standard.

Harvard Fong

Biography : Harvard Fong has been with the Worker Health and Safety Branch of the Department of Pesticide Regulation since 1980. He had conducted several worker exposure and environmental fate studies of pesticides, has trained County Agricultural Commissioners and pesticide handlers on safety regulations, investigated pesticide related illnesses, and done several large-scale monitoring studies of structural fumigations. He has been a Board-certified Industrial Hygienist since 1994 and Senior Industrial Hygienist since 2001.

Toby Frost

Biography : Battalion Chief Toby Frost is a member of the Lafayette Fire Department in Indiana. He is a Team Leader for their HazMat Team and is the founder of their Illicit Lab Response Team. He is a department instructor for fire fighters, recruits, and local industry teaching fire science, technical rescue and hazardous materials. He is a continuing lecturer at Purdue University in the School of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences. He has presented across the country at hazmat conferences including the IAFC International Hazardous Materials Conference, The Hot Zone, and at the Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC). As a contract instructor Toby has helped train federal, state and local responders across the country and internationally. Toby serves as a HazMat Specialist for FEMA -INTF-1. Toby is a principal member of the NFPA Hazardous Materials Committee. He is a current Board Member for the Indiana Alliance of Hazardous Materials Responders. BC Frost is a graduate of Eastern Kentucky University with a BS in Fire Science Engineering Technology and of the NFA Executive Fire Officer Program. In 2018, Toby was recognized by the IAFC Hazardous Materials Committee with their “Level A” Award and in 2019, by the Hot Zone Conference with the “In the Zone Award”. Toby is the Training Manager for Safeware Training/Hazard3

Sheldon Fung

Biography : Sheldon Fung has a BS in Biochemistry from UC Davis and a Master’s in Criminology/WMD from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He was a Police Officer for the city of Sacramento before becoming a Special Agent in the FBI. At the FBI Sheldon worked counter terrorism and counterintelligence cases and was awarded the Attorney General’s Award for his work on the Chi Mak Espionage case. Because of his biochemistry background, Sheldon has worked WMD matters for more than 20 years, serving as the WMD Coordinator of the Sacramento Division of the FBI for more than 10 years. Sheldon has 15 years of experience as a Special Agent Bomb Technician and has conducted classified research in this area. Sheldon retired in 2019 from the FBI, to become an Assistant Chief and WMD Coordinator for the California Office of Emergency Service, where he currently serves. Sheldon still serves as a Task Force Officer and Assistant WMD Coordinator for FBI Sacramento.

Brandon Gayle

Biography : Lieutenant Brandon Gayle began his fire service career in 1997 with the City of Raleigh Fire Department and served as a HazMat Specialist for the department from 1999 to 2024. He became a certified Fire Service Instructor for the North Carolina Office of the State Fire Marshal in the field of Hazardous Materials Response in 2006 and has been training emergency responders ever since. Mr. Gayle is also the President of Gayle Training Solutions, LLC which opened in 2011 and provides training and consulting services for several instrument manufacturers and distributors. Mr. Gayle has had the privilege of training Fire, EMS, LE, EOD and HazMat responders as well as Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines, both nationally and internationally, in most disciplines of hazardous materials and CBRNE response with a focus on detection and identification technologies. Mr. Gayle is OEM certified to teach air monitor maintenance and repair, chemical response software, Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (solid, liquid, and gas), Raman spectroscopy, ion mobility spectroscopy, high pressure mass spectrometry, gas chromatography mass spectrometry and radiological monitoring and isotope identification technologies. His specialty is teaching how to integrate data from modern technologies and apply it to risk assessment, making for safer and faster incident mitigation. Gayle Training Solutions offers competitively priced courses in recon air monitoring, chemical identification, hazard/risk assessment, and PPE selection customized to the customer’s response inventory.

Bryan Gouge

Biography : Bryan Gougé is the Supervising Arson and Bomb Investigator for CAL FIRE Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) - Arson and Bomb Unit (ABU). He works out of Sacramento CA with statewide responsibility for investigating fires and explosions on State properties and assisting local, State, and federal public safety agencies with investigating complex arson, large loss, and fatal fire and explosion scenes. As a fulltime State peace officer, he supervises a current statewide investigative team of four Arson and Bomb Investigators, two of which are Detection K9 Handlers for ignitable liquids, explosives, and firearms. Bryan is the coordinator for the statewide Illegal Fireworks and Explosives Enforcement and Disposal Program, where his team of five identifies, processes and disposes of an average of over 200,000 pounds of illegal fireworks and explosives annually. He has testified as an expert witness, is a registered Instructor through State Fire Training and the Office of Bombing Prevention and an alumnus of the National Fire Academy. He is a State certified Fire Investigator and has been a guest speaker for both fire science and forensic science classes. Prior to his 10 years with CAL FIRE OSFM as law enforcement, he worked for Auburn City Fire Department for 17 years, working as a Firefighter, Engineer, Captain, and Lead Fire Investigator through his career there. Bryan has been a registered EMT for 28 years and is a current member and Past President of the Sacramento-Sierra Regional Arson Task Force.

Christopher Gould

Biography : Chris Gould: Risk-Based Response To Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Vehicles Chris currently resides on the west central coast of Florida and is a Battalion Chief with Southern Manatee Fire Rescue where he has spent over nine years as Manatee County's Hazardous Materials Response Team Leader. He started his career in 1990 as a firefighter with Southern Manatee Fire Rescue and moved into Special Operations in 1996 specializing in hazardous materials response. Chief Gould is a member of the Tampabay Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) and is an active member of the Training Sub Committee. He is a Florida Certified: Hazardous Materials Technician, Arson Investigator, Instructor, Fire Inspector II, Paramedic, Firefighter and regularly instructs various hazardous materials, CNG and drone related classes throughout the country. He holds degrees in Business Management and Fire Science and is and regularly instructors at Florida’s Annual Hazardous Material Symposium and has presented Haz Mat programs at the CBRNe World Convergence, Washington Council of Governments, and TRANSCAER among many others. He is well known as a pioneer in regards to utilizing drones for sampling and plume tracking during large scale industrial hazardous materials incidents but his expertise lies mainly with CNG response where he is often called upon to assist various jurisdictions with CNG related incidents. In 2014 drawing from his experience with large commercial vehicle fires he identified life threatening hazards that CNG powered vehicles pose to responders where incorrect tactics can cause these vehicles to explode with a bomb like detonation that can send shrapnel up to three quarters of a mile away. Since then he has been traveling and teaching a responder orientated CNG program that allows responders to safely mitigate these incidents and then safely dis-arm the damage and potentially explosive CNG cylinders that remain afterward.

M HAYNES

Biography : Lead Instructor Biography: Haynes, Michal, Air Quality Insp. III, Toxic and Waste Unit Lead Instructor: Asbestos Compliance Class Current Assignments: Lead Smelters, Bridges/ Overpasses, Aerospace/Refineries, Battery Manufacturing Plant, Wastewater Treatment Plants and VOC Contaminated Soil Remediation Projects Certificates: Hazwhopper, Asbestos Contractor Supervisor, Haz Waste and Homeland Security-Bio Terrorism Agency/Company: SCAQMD Mailing Address: 21865-Copley DR. City: Diamond Bar State: CA Zip Code: 91765 Phone: 909.396.2369 Email: [email protected] I (Michal Haynes) am a 30-year plus, veteran in the Engineering and Compliance Division -Air toxic and Waste unit of the SCAQMD, a regional Governmental Agency. As a Senior Compliance officer/ Inspector assigned to the Toxic and Waste unit I perform and/or participate in High priority Complaint and Process/ APC equipment breakdown investigations, joint agency audits, team compliance inspections and Toxic/Haz wastes investigations. Currently, I am assigned to investigations and compliance audits that require an elevated level to details/ knowledge/ sensitivity. I have and currently serve as one of the agencies expert witness in hearing board/court/depositions regarding asbestos, lead and contaminated work sites. Also, I teach the asbestos contractors compliance class and perform outside speaking engagements regarding Asbestos and Asbestos related rules and regulations. I have expert knowledge of AQMD rules and regulations and have OSC experience on Emergency response investigations and have working experience regarding remedial actions associated with DTSC, Cal-OHSA, Fed-OSHA, DOD, DOE, Classified and Biological contaminated waste sites and Landfills. I interface with AQMD Executive officers, Attorneys, Managers and Staff, providing them with final reports and status updates as needed. Also, I meet with and discuss AQMD rules and regulations with General/ Demo contractors, DOSH-Certified Asbestos Consultant (CAC/CSST), DTSC/ EPA/ Fireman/ Corporate Environmental Officers, Health Department and other Business and Government representatives. I have excellent communication and public relation skills. Investigation Types: • Asbestos Release • Site Inspection /Preliminary Compliance Actions • Site Stabilization • Site Sampling (Asbestos Survey) • Survey Results • Mitigation/ Cleanup Plan • ACWM Storage • Haz and Non-Haz Manifest / Disposal Sites • Final Compliance Actions • Fines and Penalties • Rules/ Regulations Handling an Emergency Chemical Release/ Spills at Port facilities, Refineries, Chemical plants, Trains and Airports.

Paul Horgan

Biography : I have over 40 years working with hazardous materials transportation related issues, 26+ years as an engineer for the California Highway Patrol for hazardous materials packaging standards, 30+ years with the Continuing Challenge Hazardous Materials Workshop, and 14 + years with the hazmat transportation industry as an instructor for cargo tank manufacturers, test and inspection facility and emergency response. Also an instructor for the Ammonia Safety Training Institute.

Thaddeus Hunt

Biography : Thaddeus Hunt, MS, is an Environmental Health Emergency Preparedness Coordinator with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Center for Environmental Health (CEH) and coordinates Environmental Health Training for Emergency Response (EHTER). He brings 13 years of experience as an emergency management and training professional working in state, private, and non-profit sectors. He previously served with the State Water Board for 11 years, implementing and guiding water rights regulations for the SF Bay Delta Water Quality Control Plan, the State and Federal water projects, and statewide droughts including advocating for vulnerable communities in the 2020 drought emergency regulation. Among his responses, he's served as a recovery responder for Camp Fire, Dixie Fire, and the Pajaro Levee Flood. He also serves as a planner for the VOADS, Sacramento Fire Department CERT and Team Rubicon.

Hasti Javid

Biography : Hasti Javid joined the Office of the Secretary in March 2021 as CalEPA’s first Environmental Enforcement Officer. Under the direction of the Deputy Secretary for Law Enforcement and Counsel, Hasti is responsible for planning, coordinating, and implementing several CalEPA-wide enforcement efforts, including the CalEPA Enforcement Training Program, the CalEPA Environmental Complaint System, and coordinating multi-agency enforcement efforts related to environmental crimes and first responder/public health threats associated with illegal cannabis cultivation throughout the state. During her 14-year career with San Diego County Hazmat, Hasti served in various roles such as but not limited to: Enforcement Coordinator, Training Coordinator, and Emergency Responder on the afterhours Hazardous Incident Response Team. Hasti is a Registered Environmental Health Specialist, a state certified Hazardous Materials Specialist, and an executive board member for the California Hazardous Materials Investigators Association (CHMIA) where she volunteers her time to promote CHMIA’s overall purpose and mission in encouraging the cooperation and coordination of environmental crimes investigations between law enforcement and regulatory agencies at the local, state, and federal level.

Pete Jensen

Biography : Battalion Chief Peter (Pete) Jensen Ventura County Fire Protection District in Camarillo, California Chief Jensen recently semi-retired after over 33 years the fire service. He started his career on the Ventura Co. Fire Dept. on the hand crew fighting wildland fires. In 1990 he joined the Point Mugu Fire Dept. at NAS Point Mugu as a civilian federal firefighter and progressed up to the rank of Captain. During his tenure there he was a plank holder in the creation of that department’s hazmat and urban search and rescue (USAR) teams. After almost 9 years with that department he started over as a rookie firefighter with the Ventura County Fire Dept. and again has promoted back up through the ranks through Captain, the department’s Hazmat Officer and finished as a Battalion Chief in Operations. Chief Jensen has a Masters degree in Emergency and Disaster Management from American Military University, a Bachelor’s degree from California State University Long Beach in Occupational Studies and an Associate’s degree in Fire Technology from Oxnard College. He is a certified instructor from the California State Fire Marshal, The California Specialized Training Institute, FEMA and the National Sheriffs’ Association. As part of his service to the fire service and the hazmat communities, Pete serves on a number of committees and working groups with the most notable being Firescope’s Hazmat Working Group, NFPA 470 Technical committee, The International Association of Fire Chief’s Hazmat Committee, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Emergency Services Sector’s Information Sharing and FGA Working groups. Pete is a certified Hazmat Specialist and a CSTI Outreach Instructor. He is also a qualified Division Group Supervisor, Strike Team Leader, Type 3 Safety Officer and Type 3 PIO through the federal NWCG incident qualification System ( ICS).

Daniel Keenan

Biography : Dan Keenan has been a firefighter and Hazardous Materials Specialist/responder for the Oakland Fire Department, Oakland, CA since 1991, and retired after 30 years. He is certified by CSTI (California Specialized Training Institute) as a Hazardous Materials Instructor for the entire Technician/Specialist curriculum. Dan felt a need to promote hazardous materials training with the use of chemical demonstrations, and this interest fueled the development of his course called “Fun With Chemistry” filmed at the Continuing Challenge Workshop for which Dan received the James H. Meidl “Instructor of the Year” Award in 1999 – sponsored by CA State Fire Marshall, with his co-instructor, Maria Duazo. Dan was a Faculty Member in the Fire Service Technology Department for Chabot Community College, Hayward, CA, where he taught the course “Fundamentals of Fire Protection Chemistry”- Physical &Chemical characteristics of matter and fire. Dan received his formal Chemistry education from the University of Rochester, New York. Dan is a consultant to HazTech Systems Inc., manufacturer of the HazCat Kit ®. He has been teaching “Field Identification of Unknowns” classes for over twenty-five years and was featured in the American Chemical Society’s “What Chemists Do” Video series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CWy2R23qlI He has made use of his experience and expertise to teach Advanced Field Identification of Unknown Hazardous Substances to federal EPA On-Scene-Coordinators at their Nationwide Training conference, and is called upon to teach Field Identification of Unknowns during CSTI’s Technical Reference Specialist Course. Dan was a consultant with Davis Defense Group where he taught response to Chemical Warfare Agent laboratories to the CST’s. He is also a consultant for the Industrial Emergency Council and has taught countless “Basic Chemistry” and “Applied Chemistry” courses, each a 40-hour curriculum, to responders throughout the State of California. Dan has been a member of the Environmental Crimes Investigator’s Association and has taught a course called “Practical Chemistry for Environmental Investigators & Field Officers” to several Environmental Crimes Task Forces including San Diego, Imperial County and has put on seminars at the annual CHMIA conference. In 2018 Dan was awarded the William J. Patterson Lifetime Achievement Award. This award is presented to the individual who has dedicated a “lifetime” of commitment and sacrifice in creating and/or promoting innovations and achievements in hazardous materials response, management and/or leadership

David LeDuff

Biography : David works for the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) of Southern California’s Environmental Programs Support Team in the Hazardous Materials Program. He has worked in public health for over 29 years, with the past 23 years being in the hazardous materials arena as a CUPA inspector and manager, environmental compliance specialist and environmental specialist. David has experience with hazardous material emergency response, enforcement, and environmental compliance activities and currently helps manage MWD’s hazardous waste program. He has a B.S. and M.S.in Environmental and Occupational Health from California State University, Northridge (CSUN), an M.P.H. with an emphasis in epidemiology from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and a Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM) credential.

Jackie Long

Biography : Mr. Jackie Long, is currently a lieutenant with the California Exposition and State Fair Police Department and an instructor with SafeWare, Inc. Jackie has over 40 years of law enforcement experience, with over 30 years experience with Illicit Hazardous Environments. Jackie retired as a Special Agent Supervisor with the California Department of Justice, Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement, where he held many positions including the statewide coordinator for the departments Clandestine Laboratory Enforcement Program, and was a Regional Operations Commander for the Campaign Against Marijuana Planting (CAMP).

Ken Loo

Biography : Kenneth J. Loo, M.S. is a Fire Captain with the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District. He is an inaugural HazMat Team member working on one of the first CalOES HazMat Teams and has been teaching private/public sector emergency responders for over 2 decades. Coming from one of the busiest HazMat teams in California, he has had the opportunity to respond to multiple "Career" HazMat Incidents while capturing photos and stories to share with others. He is also an active member on one of the 28 federal Urban Search & Rescue teams and teaches part time at his local community college. Ken has taught firefighters, law enforcement, public health department officials, and private sector personnel on various Hazardous Materials subjects around California and the United States. He enjoys flying sUAS (drones) on scene to capture the true scope of work from his colleagues as a FAA Part 107 operator. His educational background includes a CA Adult Ed Teaching Credential via San Jose State University, a Bachelors degree from UC Davis, a Masters degree from CSU Long Beach in Emergency Service Administration, and post graduate work in the field of Terrorism with additional coursework from around the country.

Adam McFadden

Biography : Adam is a Hazmat Technician, Shift Training Instructor and Former Recruit Training Officer for Canada’s Largest Urban Fire Service; as well as a member of the Joint Response Hazmat & CBRNE Team. He is also the owner of Firehouse Training, a Canadian private-industry fire service training company, developing various programs in the areas of hazardous materials spill response, terrorism awareness and flammable liquids training. Adam has over 20 years of experience in the Hazmat industry, has completed Cargo Tank Hazmat Specialist Training, Hazardous Materials Incident Command & Safety Officer training programs with the Michigan State Police Academy. He was also a participant at the Tracking Terrorism: Countering the Threat Symposium in Durham Region, Canada. Adam has spoken previously at various Hazmat Conferences including the Florida State Hazmat Symposium, Hazmatcon: Hazardous Materials Virtual Conference based out of Michigan, and Ontario Hazmat Responders Association Hazmat Conference, in Niagara Falls, Canada.

William Miller

Biography : William Miller began his Fire Service career in 1991 as a FireFighter/EMT with the Tacoma Fire Department (WA) and joined its HazMat response team in 1995. At the time of retirement in May 2017 he specialized in HM/CBRN instrumentation, research/analysis, system integration, and grant writing. In addition to serving as lead HM/CBRN response instructor for TFD, he also taught at the Washington State Fire Training Academy covering subjects in chemical/ physical properties and CBRN/terrorism response. Education includes a B.S.in Business Administration from Central Washington University with extensive coursework in chemistry and biology. Mr. Miller also served on Washington USAR-FEMA Task Force 1 for 23 years starting as a Rescue Specialist followed by 12 years as a HazMat manager. Currently Mr. Miller provides training and advice primarily to Fire Dept. based HM/CBRN response teams.

Michael Mudgett

Biography : Michael Retired for the Santa Barbara Fire Dep. in 2020. Upon retirement Michael worked at Cal OES/ CSTI as the Course Manager for the Specialist F&G weeks, ASO, and Railcar Safety courses. Serving as the Haz Mat Lead, Michael is responsible for managing the CSTI Field Training Facility, CSTI partner sites, coordinating with other Haz Mat Program Managers, and preparing updates to the training curriculum. He has a background in Fire/Haz Mat, with over 27 years' experience in response, mitigation, and management.

Shannon Murphy

Biography : Dr. Murphy is a Staff Toxicologist with the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), a department of the California Environmental Protection Agency. She received her doctorate in Pharmacology and Toxicology from the University of California at Davis with an emphasis on environmental pollutant exposure impacts on respiratory neurodevelopment. Dr. Murphy has worked on several environmental health issues and currently serves as the OEHHA representative for the California Interagency HAB-related Illness Workgroup that conducts outreach, collaboration, and investigative efforts for human and animal illnesses that may be related to marine or freshwater harmful algal bloom (HAB) exposure. She also develops safe eating guidelines based on persistent contaminants in fish tissue through the OEHHA fish advisory program.

Cindy Murphy

Biography : Cindy Murphy serves as the Tribal Coordinator for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR). In this role, she fosters engagement with California Native American Tribes by managing grant programs, coordinating outreach initiatives, and facilitating educational workshops. Her work focuses on strengthening partnerships between OSPR and Tribal communities, ensuring they have access to essential resources and support for environmental protection, particularly in the event of oil spills. Through her efforts, she enhances collaboration, upholds Tribal sovereignty, and advances the sustainable stewardship of California’s natural resources.

Gail Obeso

Biography : Ms. Obeso’s background experience consists of a Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science, Registered Environmental Health Specialist, Hazardous Materials Specialist and Master Exercise Practitioner. She has served as the Counter-terrorism/Hazmat Coordinator for the San Bernardino County Fire Department. She also served as the liaison to Public Health, Hospitals, Civil Support Teams and Law Enforcement communities. Ms. Obeso has 30 years of experience in hazardous materials response, enforcement and investigations. Additionally she has environmental health experience in vector control, and food services and worked in the Public Health Lab. She has taught ICS 100, 200, 300 and 400 for various disciplines across the country. Ms. Obeso has taught at the national level for the FBI, several Civil Support Teams and the CDP for over 15 years and is currently an adjunct instructor for the Center for Domestic Preparedness. Ms. Obeso has responded to more than 2000 clandestine labs, 3 major train derailments and numerous Public Health emergencies which included Avian Flu, Anthrax/white powder calls and recently served on the Covid Task Force. Primary roles on these incidents ranged from Entry Team, Safety Officer, Logistics, Operations Chief to Incident Commander. Philosophy of Training Emergency Responders: What we do is serious business. Training prepares us for serious business but that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun!

Carl Palladino

Biography : Mr. Carl Palladino has over 25 years experience as an environmental consultant. He is a principal health physicist for The Palladino Company and provides a wide range of environmental, radiological, training, and emergency management services. Mr. Palladino has diverse experiences as a responder to hazmat emergencies; managing hazardous/radioactive waste investigation/remediation projects; consulting for emergency management projects including exercise design, implementation, and evaluation, as well as developing radiological response plans; and developing/conducting health and safety trainings. He is recognized as an effective trainer and has taught over 400 radiological, technical, and safety classes to thousands of professionals and emergency response personnel.

Chris Pfaff

Biography : Chris Pfaff is a Fire Captain and prevention officer at West Pierce Fire & Rescue. He has been a firefighter, engineer, rescue technician, and hazmat technician throughout his 19 year career. Capt. Pfaff has multiple degrees in the field of firefighting and emergency response and his most recent degree is from Oklahoma State University with a master’s in Fire & Emergency Management Planning, since becoming a prevention officer, Capt. Pfaff has worked with Seattle Fire, the Washington State Patrol, ATF, TEEX, FSRI, and others to build a body of research in relation to Lithium Ion battery safety. Concepts, presentations, and technical panels that Capt. Pfaff has either worked on, or is currently working on are; Fire Code Action Committees - Electric Vehicles, Battery Recycling, Listed equipment requirements, Spokane Li-Ion Town Hall, Pasco, WA Energy Symposium, Washington State Hazmat Workshop, Houston Hotzone, PPE contamination testing, and others. In addition to this work, Capt. Pfaff has been a certified hazmat & technical rescue instructor since 2009 and has instructed Law Enforcement, Fire Service, EMS responders, and other occupational workers on various hazards through multiple instruction fields, including www.HazmatAndRescue.com, which he is the lead instructor, and InSource Fire Training & Consulting, where he is the compliance manager. Between these two companies, Chris has instructed multiple Hazmat Technician classes, hundreds of Hazmat Operations classes, and over 30 Hazmat On-Scene Incident Command classes.

Jon Poganski

Biography : Firefighter Poganski Started in the fire service since 1999, Firefighter Jonathan Poganski started his career as a Fire Explorer with the Newcastle Fire Protection District and worked through the ranks as a volunteer and part-time firefighter from 1999 to 2009. He also spent two years, from 2003 to 2005, with Cal Fire as a resident firefighter. He joined the Placer County Interagency Hazmat Team as a volunteer in 2003 and still remains active within the agency. In 2005, Jonathan joined the UC Davis Fire Department as a full-time firefighter and hazmat specialist, and still finds time to be a part time firefighter with the Placer Hills Fire Protection District.

Karen Riveles

Biography : Karen Riveles is a toxicologist with the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) and works on emergency planning, preparedness and response. Karen's work focuses on the identification, characterization, and risk assessment of toxic air pollutants and assessing health effects and characterizing risk to public health and the environment from toxic chemical releases in the environment. Karen also helps to develop public health messages during and after chemical releases. Karen has been teaching at the Continuing Challenge for over ten years.

Scott Russell

Biography : Scott Russell is a 30-year Veteran of the Baltimore County Fire Department where he began his career as a Paramedic assigned to the Hazmat Team. He is now a Captain with the Hazardous Materials Response Team. He also volunteers his time as a member of the NFPA 470 committee and is on numerous research and development task groups vetting and collaborating on the next generation of Hazmat PPE and equipment. He also is a IAFF Hazmat instructor bringing quality training to Fire Departments around the country. Scott retired from the Air Force after 27 years of service as a Lieutenant Colonel with the Delaware Air National Guard’s 142nd Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron. He spent 27 years performing Aeromedical Evacuation of wounded, deploying nine times in support of four different overseas contingencies. He also performed Disaster/Emergency planning with the Air National Guard specializing in Hurricane evacuation/disaster response. Scott’s education consists of an AA Emergency Medical Services, BS in Nursing, and a MS in Disaster/Emergency Management. His love is First Responder training and instilling the basics through his Safety Through Knowledge™ concepts; his company creates training focused on the responder with the principles of STK™ and the KISS (keep it simple stupid) concept. He is passionate about First Responder training, getting off the computers and training hands on in person. His goal is to promote Survival and Safety on incidents and to prevent Cancer in first responders. Scott further founded the non-profit organization Society of One America’s Defenders which is dedicated to building houses for combat wounded Veterans.

Patrick A. Ryan, CIH, CSP, CHMM

Biography : Patrick A. Ryan is the Hazardous Materials Manager at Montana State University in Bozeman, MT. His responsibilities include oversight of hazardous waste on campus, and at related offsite locations. He has worked at MSU for over 17 years and has actively worked with Hazmat over 30 years. He has extensive experience with large-scale chemical lab cleanouts and hazardous materials and waste management. His training company, RIH Hazmat www.rihhazmat.com specializes in training simplified, rapid and highly practical Rapid Threat Assessment (RTA) chemistry to professional first responders. He is a certified industrial hygienist (CIH), certified safety professional (CSP), and certified hazardous materials manager (CHMM). He is an active technical presenter with CUHMMC, was part of the ANSI/ASSP Z10 committee from 2021 to 2024 and is a current member of the Institute for Hazardous Materials Management (IHMM) textbook committee and CHMM exam committee. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental and Occupational Health, from Cal State University Northridge, and has a strong passion for continuous learning and improvement.

Rob Scott

Biography : I have been in the propane industry for the past 35 years. I have been involved in all different aspects of the industry from training new employees to regulatory liaison. For eleven years I worked in the ASME, DOT cargo tank manufacturing industry. Currently I serve as the consultant to the Western Propane Gas Association on hazardous material issues. I am also an instructor for certified employee training for the Western Propane Gas Association, as well as an instructor for the propane transportation emergency response program. I am an instructor for the California Dept. of Forestry propane fire safety training class. I am a member of U.S. DOT (COHMED) group this is a cooperative effort between DOT enforcement and industry on hazardous material issues and also serves as a cargo tank instructor for the Transportation Safety Institute. I have also written risk management programs for compliance with the clean air act 112 (r) of the US EPA and Fire Safety analysis.

Shannon Serre

Biography : Shannon Serre started with the EPA in 1998 in the National Risk Management Research Laboratory where he studied the control of pollutants from coal-fired utilities. Shannon joined EPA’s National Homeland Security Research Center (NHSRC) in 2007 where he was the assistant program manager for NHSRC’s Technology Testing and Evaluation Program. Shannon is currently with the EPA’s Office of Emergency Management working in the CBRN Consequence Management Advisory Division. He is focused on the response and recovery from a chemical, biological or radiological incident. He has been involved in several field scale projects including: the Bio-response Operational Testing and Evaluation (BOTE) project, Underground Transport Restoration (UTR) project, Operational Testing and Evaluation of Chemical Remediation Technologies (OTECRA) and is now involved with the Analysis for Coastal Operational Recovery (AnCOR) project. The AnCOR project is focused on the restoration of a USCG facility or asset that has been contaminated with a biological agent. Shannon has a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Utah.

Philip Solinski

Biography : Phil Solinski is a member of EPA’s Environmental Response Team (ERT), who provide support to all EPA Regions throughout the country. He has over of 35 years of experience of air quality monitoring, sampling and project management. Phil spent 24 years as the Emergency Response Group Leader under ERT. He has been responsible for all aspects of air monitoring and sampling projects related to public health and safety throughout the United States. Phil has experience with projects involving domestic preparedness, environmental emergency response, disaster response, vapor intrusion studies, indoor air quality, personal air monitoring and sampling, hazardous waste site assessments, activity-based air sampling (ABS) for asbestos and enforcement actions. Additionally, he has extensive expertise in the performance of U.S. EPA, NIOSH, and OSHA air sampling methods. He also has extensive experience with the air monitoring equipment and its incorporation into the VIPER data management system.

Daniel Talbot

Biography : Daniel Talbot served 33 years with Cal Fire in the Riverside Unit and retired as a Deputy Chief in November of 2018. From 1990 to 1996, Chief Talbot served as a Fire Captain/HM Specialist on the Cal Fire/Riverside County Hazardous Materials Response Team. During his time with the Team, Chief Talbot responded to over 600 hazardous materials emergencies. Concurrently with his time on the Hazardous Materials Team, Chief Talbot was a member of the FIRESCOPE Hazardous Materials Specialist Group. During his tenure with the Hazardous Materials Specialist Group, Chief Talbot participated in developing the position manuals for the Hazardous Materials Module of the Incident Command System. As a Chief Officer, Chief Talbot responded to several significant hazardous materials incidents where he functioned as the Incident Commander. Currently, Chief Talbot is an Adjunct Instructor at Moreno Valley College’s School of Public Safety. Chief Daniel teaches Hazardous Materials Incident Commander, ICS 300, ICS 400, and the CSFM course, Incident Management of High-Rise Fires. In 2023, Chief Talbot participated in a multiagency group to develop the course Wide-Rise Fire Operations. The first Wide-Rise Operations Course was delivered in November of 2023.

Richard Thompson

Biography : Richard Thompson has dedicated 19 years to the fire service, demonstrating unwavering commitment and expertise in public safety and emergency management. Currently serving as a Fire Captain II with the Los Angeles Fire Department, Richard plays a critical role in specialized operations. He is the Program Coordinator for the HazMat/CBRNE/JHAT Section, overseeing hazardous materials response, chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive (CBRNE) operations, as well as the Joint Hazard Assessment Team (JHAT). In addition to these responsibilities, Richard is the Program Coordinator for the department's Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) program. In this capacity, he spearheads innovative solutions, leveraging technology to enhance operational safety, efficiency, and effectiveness in emergency response scenarios. Richard’s leadership and expertise in highly technical and specialized areas of fire service make him an invaluable asset to the department and the communities he serves.

Charles Tobias

Biography : Chuck Tobias Assistant Fire Chief, Fire and Rescue, Special Operations Hazmat and Urban Search and Rescue, CalOES Chuck joined the CalOES Fire and Rescue Branch in 2018. He has served as the manager of the Cal OES Regional Hazardous Materials Response program. This successful program oversees 12 Cal OES Hazardous Materials Response Teams located throughout the State of California. Chief Tobias recently completed a 36 year career with the Fresno City Fire Department. During his tenure in the Fire Service, he served in numerous capacities which include; Hazardous Materials Response Team Chief Anti-terrorism and Homeland Security Chief Metropolitan Medical Response System Program Manager FIRESCOPE High Rise Specialist Group Chair FIRESCOPE Hazardous Materials Specialist Group Member CICCS Safety Officer, PIO, and Strike Team Leader CSTI and SFT Outreach Instructor Paramedic Working for a large municipal fire department with an extremely busy emergency response load and his diverse background have provided Chuck with numerous opportunities to serve with national, State, regional, and local jurisdictions. He has represented Fresno, the State of California and FEMA Regions VIII, IX, and X at many meetings and conferences. He developed two Type 1 Hazmat Response Teams, one Type 1 USAR Team. Chuck graduated from Fresno City College and Columbia Southern University, Summa Cum Laude, and resides in Fresno, CA.

Jeremy VanAuker

Biography : Jeremy VanAuker is the Field Forensic Application Scientist for 908 Devices. He earned both his Master and Bachelor of Science degrees in Chemistry from Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas and is currently working on his Master of Business Administration from the University of Texas at Dallas. After earning his B.S., he briefly worked at an explosives manufacturing facility as a Laboratory Chemist. He then worked as firefighter/EMT-basic in Joplin, Missouri for almost five years specializing in hazardous material response and technical rescue. Before joining 908 Devices, Jeremy was a Forensic Drug Chemist II for almost nine years with the Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences in Dallas, Texas where he analyzed unknown materials for the presence or absence of controlled substances.

Nick Vent

Biography : Nick Vent retired after 28yrs as a Supervising Environmental Health Specialist with the County of San Diego. He managed the County of San Diego’s Hazardous Incident Response Team (HIRT), which responds to all hazardous chemical releases in a jurisdiction of 4200 square miles with 18 cities. Mr. Vent is a nationally recognized and award winning, state certified hazardous materials response instructor with 40 plus years’ experience training and certifying fire, law enforcement, and environmental professionals who respond to chemical emergencies. He currently is conducting Hazmat classes around the country, US Territories and even Europe. He has taught various environmental health courses at colleges in California and around the country. He holds degrees in Environmental and Occupational Health and Chemistry. But most he loves to traveling the world and meeting people.

Chris Weber

Biography : Dr. Chris Weber is the President/CEO of Dr. Hazmat, Inc. which specializes in hazardous materials training and consulting for emergency responders, the military, and industry. His experience includes serving on the Washtenaw County (Michigan) Hazardous Materials Response Team for over a decade in positions that include hazmat technician, training officer, and deputy director. He also served as a member of the Longmont (Colorado) Fire Department Hazmat Team for seven years as a SME and hazmat specialist. He has been a firefighter for over 35 years and is currently a member of the Hygiene Fire Protection District. He has extensive experience involving hazardous materials chemistry, including a Ph.D. in cellular and molecular biology and biological chemistry from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Chris has authored the following books: Pocket Reference for Hazardous Materials Response; Hazardous Materials Operations (textbook); and Hazardous Materials Technician (textbook) and is a regular speaker at emergency response conferences around the world. He can be reached at [email protected].

Philip White

Biography : Fire Chief Philip White Ret. has over 30 years of experience in the fire service where he served in multiple capacities the last of which was 10 years as the fire chief for the City of San Francisco. As a a member of Urban Search and Rescue Task Force-3 (Menlo Park), he deployed to Hurricane Iniki, Northridge Earthquake, The World Trade Center and Hurricane Katrina. Chief White has also served as a consultant to local, state and the federal governments, private industry and special operations groups both domestically and overseas. Issues he has worked on as a consultant have included, regulatory compliance, workplace safety, CBRNE, emergency management and response. Throughout his career Chief White has also been an avid instructor. Some of the topics he has been asked to teach include, use of the incident command system, response to hazardous materials incidents, technical rescue, confined space rescue, swift water/flood rescue and other similar topics of interest to first responders. Most recently, Chief White has been asked to design and administer regional, multi-disciplinary land and maritime based full-scale exercises that have been based on complex coordinated terrorist attacks, detonation of radiation dispersal devices (RDD's) and improvised nuclear devices (IND's).

Robert Wise

Biography : Robert Wise has been a Federal On-Scene Coordinator with EPA Region 9 Emergency Response. Robert has 35 years experience in Superfund Emergency Response. 15 years as an EPA ER contractor and 20 years as an OSC. Robert is considered a national level expert on Mercury Response and serves on the EPA's Mercury Response Workgroup. Robert is also the Radiation Response Coordinator for EPA Region 9 and serves on the National Radiation Protection Work Group. Robert has designed and presented a number of classes at the Continuing Challenge, the CUPA Forum, Hazmat Explo conferences to name a few. During the COVID pandemic, FOSC Wise was instrumental in preparing the EPA Region 9 virtual 8-Hour HAZWOPER Refresher Training, Mercury Response and Cleanup and the Descent into Madness Classes that was made available for local, state and federal agencies nation wide. Robert has extensive experience in response operations. Robert was the Deputy Incident Commander for the Palestine Collection Base for the 2003 Space Shuttle Disaster, the Division Supervisor for the 2007 EPA San Diego FEMA Fire Recovery Fire Response, Deputy Area Commander for the 2015 Gold King Mine Spill and the High-Hazard Team Leader for a number wildland fire recovery operations in Northern California. Robert has also conducted over 100 CERCLA and OPA Removal actions over his 35 year career.

Howard Wong

Biography : Howard Wong is a 26-year veteran of environmental and hazardous materials response service. He has served as the Assistant Chief Environmental Compliance Officer with the City of Los Angeles Watershed Protection Division for five years. He held positions in several areas of public service, including Inspection Specialist, Environmental Compliance Inspector, Environmental Compliance Officer, and Lieutenant Environmental Officer. Mr. Wong has an extensive background in environmental and hazardous materials emergency response, inspection of commercial and industrial facilities, investigation activities, cleanup, and abatement incidents. His certifications include: State of California Certified Hazardous Materials Instructor (December 2019) State of California Certified Hazardous Materials Assistant Safety Officer (ASO) State of California Certified Hazardous Materials Technician/Specialist State of California and a P.O.S.T. 832.

Chris Wrenn

Biography : Christopher Wrenn is the Vice President of Americas Sales for AEssense Corp., a Silicon Valley developer and manufacturer dedicated to providing innovative technological solutions for plant growers worldwide. He is a self-described “sensor geek” who used to use sensors to keep people alive now he uses sensors to keep plants alive and growing vigorously. AEssense makes turn-key aeroponic grow systems that use sensors and software to control the growth environment to produce bigger and more vigorous plants in less time. Chris has spoken or participated in roundtable discussions at a number of cannabis cultivation conferences. Previously Mr. Wrenn was Sr. Director of Sales and Marketing for Environics USA, a provider of sophisticated gas & vapor detection solutions for the military, 1st responder, safety and homeland security markets. Mr. Wrenn was also a key member of the RAE Systems team, helping to pioneer Photoionization Detectors (PIDs) sensors and portable wireless gas detection networks in the above-mentioned markets. A graduate of Cornell University, Chris has extensive experience teaching gas and vapor detection and has been a featured speaker at more than 100 international conferences. He has written numerous articles, papers and book chapters on gas detection in HazMat and industrial safety applications.

Zhi Zhang

Biography : Zhi Zhang is a Radiation Safety Officer and senior health physicist with the US EPA National Center for Radiation Field Operations. He is a member of the Radiological Emergency Response Team, a EPA special team that provides specialized support for radiological or nuclear emergency responses. Zhi also comes from a broad background in health and medical physics in university, biomedical research, and medical settings. Zhi is board certified in health physics by the American Board of Health Physics and in nuclear medicine physics and instrumentation by the American Board of Science in Nuclear Medicine

tom bergman

Biography : Tom is a Certified CAMEO Instructor and enjoys conducting CAMEO training classes all over the world. In 2014 and 2015, Tom conducted CAMEO training in Istanbul Turkey, Rabat Morocco, Nairobi Kenya, and Vilnius, Lithuania. Tom has provided CAMEO training in Szezcin, Poland as part of the USDOD Partners for Peace program attended by HazMat planners and responders from the nations of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Ukraine, Poland, and Russia. Tom has conducted CAMEO classes in 45 U.S. states, and for a number of military and U.S. government agencies, including the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, USEPA, NOAA, FEMA, and USDOT. Tom is the Lead Developer and Senior Instructor for the Department of Homeland Security, Office of Domestic Preparedness, “Introduction to CAMEO” courses delivered nationally by the National Center for BioMedial Research and Training (NCBRT). Tom has received several awards including the 2009 USEPA National Notable Achievement Program, CEPP State Partner Award and the 2014 Oklahoma Emergency Management Association Outstanding Contributor of the Year Award.