Dr. Donald W. Walsh has a vast array of experience from his 30-year Chicago Fire Department career and continues his involvement at all levels. Between 1976 and 2007, Dr. Walsh worked for the Chicago Fire Department's Bureau of Operations, where he served as a licensed paramedic, EMS manager, educator, instructor, chief officer, and assistant deputy fire commissioner for the EMS Division, where he managed the second-largest EMS system in the United States. His public safety background includes being an adjunct faculty member of the National Fire Academy under the US Department of Homeland Security, president of the Chicago Fire Paramedics Association, and director of the Illinois Paramedics Association. He is on the board of directors and is the currently elected secretary of the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians. As a respected international speaker, author, and educator, Dr. Walsh has lectured to public safety and healthcare industry audiences all over the world, addressing various topics in homeland security, EMS, fire rescue operations, law enforcement, and private industry. Dr. Walsh's specialties and expertise include public safety management, strategic planning, incident command, incident management, disaster planning, and antiterrorism responses. Dr. Walsh has lectured and trained throughout the United States, as well as Europe, eastern Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and the former Soviet Union. Dr. Walsh has been a presenter on and has been interviewed by CNN International, Turkish National Television, 20/20, ABC News Magazine-New York, Discovery Channel, and many local television and radio stations and media outlets throughout the United States, the Middle East, and Europe. Dr. Walsh has published more than 60 national and international articles and scientific abstracts in professional and peer-reviewed journals, and he serves on many professional peer-reviewed journal editorial and advisory boards. Dr. Walsh was elected as a Fellow to the Institute of Medicine of Chicago and also served as a subject matter expert for the US Army and NASA on fire fighter safety issues in coordination with the US Fire Administration. Throughout his career, Dr. Walsh has been awarded the James O. Page Leadership Award, EMS Fire Chief of the Year from the International Association of Fire Chiefs, Paramedic of the Year from EMS Magazine, Paramedic of the Year from the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians, a City of Chicago Recognition Resolution, and a State of Illinois House of Representatives Recognition Resolution. Dr. Walsh's extensive background in public safety and private industry has fostered new technologies and programs in the areas of antiterrorism training, incident command, rescue equipment development, and disaster management response programs. His most recent research on fire smoke and cyanide treatments has been published in peer-reviewed and professional publications. Within the fields of fire service, EMS, and organizational planning, Dr. Walsh has assisted with corporate and public safety information technologies and educational programs, as well as global networking and research development programs. In addition to his government and consultant activities, Dr. Walsh is currently working with private-sector businesses and industries to develop corporate educational programs, public safety programs, and information technology systems. Dr. Walsh is currently working on new fire safety technologies and research on the dangers of fire smoke, cyanide identification and treatment protocols, fire suppression foam systems, and technologies and antiterrorism preparedness programs related to cyanide weapons and disaster management. Dr. Hank T. Christen has been a consultant in the fields of emergency response and counterterrorism for US Department of Defense agencies, federal response agencies, and local government public safety agencies since 2000. He was previously a battalion chief for the Atlanta Fire Department and director of Emergency Services for Okaloosa County, Florida. He served as unit commander for the Gulf Coast Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) and has responded to 12 national disasters, including the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Dr. Christen is a contributing editor for Firehouse Magazine and has published more than 30 articles in technical journals. He is the coauthor of The EMS Incident Management System, Understanding Terrorism and Managing Its Consequences, and Terrorism Response: Field Guide for Law Enforcement. Dr. Christen has been a speaker at national conferences for the past 20 years. He was a member of the US Department of Defense, Defense Science Board (Transnational Threats, 1997) and the US Army Interagency Board for Medical Logistics. He was a member of the Executive Session on Domestic Preparedness, a faculty member at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and he is currently an affiliate faculty member at George Washington University Medical School, Auburn University, and the Gordon Center for Research in Medical Education at the University of Miami. A Miami native, Dr. Christen completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Florida and his doctoral degree in human performance technology at the University of West Florida. Graydon C. Lord presently serves as associate director of the National EMS Preparedness Initiative at George Washington University's Office of Homeland Security and senior policy analyst on emergency response and homeland security. Chief Lord came to George Washington University after nearly 5 years as division chief of Emergency Medical Services for Cherokee County Fire Department in Cherokee County, Georgia. In this capacity, Chief Lord evaluated the EMS system and determined that the needs of the community would best be met by creating a fully integrated, dual-role, cross-trained, fire-based EMS system. Chief Lord provided leadership and operational execution to achieve that goal. Cherokee County Fire Department now has 200 EMTs and paramedics who serve 500 square miles in both an urban and rural environment with Advanced Life Support ambulances. Chief Lord became an EMT and paramedic in 1980 and was promoted through the ranks to become EMS operations chief of the second-largest EMS system in New England at Worcester Emergency Medical Services in Worcester, Massachusetts, until his retirement in 2001. Chief Lord lectures nationally and internationally on EMS systems development, leadership and operations, disaster response, and homeland security preparedness. He is an adjunct faculty member for various institutions and agencies, including the Institute for International Disaster Emergency Medicine, Group Trauma Services of Portugal, Texas A & M University, US Department of Justice, US Department of Homeland Security, University of Massachusetts Medical Center, Copenhagen Fire Department, Appalachian Technical College, and the Georgia Public Safety Center. He was appointed by former President George W. Bush to serve on the National Commission on Children and Disasters and also holds an appointment to the US Department of Defense InterAgency Board. Chief Lord is a member or officer of several professional organizations, including the International Association of Emergency Medical Services Chiefs (IAEMSC), National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT), National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT), National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP), and Georgia Association of Emergency Medical Services (GAEMS). He is a past member of the board of directors for the NAEMT and the GAEMS. Geoffrey T. Miller is the associate director of Research and Curriculum Development for the Division of Prehospital and Emergency Healthcare at the Michael S. Gordon Center for Research in Medical Education (GCRME) at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Mr. Miller began his career in public safety 20 years ago. Previously Mr. Miller worked as a paramedic fire fighter with Alachua County Fire Rescue before moving into EMS education. During his time with Alachua County Fire Rescue, he also oversaw projects on system utilization and hospital diversions, and he assisted in the development and implementation of E911 system upgrades, electronic patient tracking, and reporting and medical care protocol refinements. Following his service in fire rescue, Mr. Miller served as associate professor of EMS programs at Santa Fe Community College in Gainesville, Florida. There he led the school's participation as a field test site in the pilot testing of the US Department of Transportation national standard curriculum for paramedics. Mr. Miller joined the GCRME more than 9 years ago and has since worked in the areas of patient simulation, interactive multimedia computer learning systems, emergency medical skills training, terrorism response, and disaster medical response and management. He is active in the areas of applied outcomes research in education, with an emphasis on the creation and improvement of methods of clinical competence assessment using advanced educational technology and simulation. Presently Mr. Miller develops, implements, disseminates, and evaluates innovative EMS curricula and assessment systems that are used by prehospital providers, medical schools, and US Army medical teams throughout the United States. Mr. Miller is actively engaged in scholarly research and publication in EMS practice and education. He has coauthored several books, including Arrhythmia Recognition: The Art of Interpretation. Mr. Miller is a frequent author and coauthor in emergency medical services and emergency care journals. He is regularly invited to speak at state, national, and international conferences. Mr. Miller is a member of numerous local, state, and national EMS professional organizations and committees that advise fire rescue, EMS, law enforcement, public health, and hospitals. Mr. Miller is also an active member of national and Florida state educational organizations and has served twice as the president of the Florida Association of EMS Educators. In 2000, Mr. Miller was recognized as the Paramedic Instructor of the Year by the Florida Association of EMS Educators. In 2003, he was recognized as the EMS Educator of the Year by the State of Florida Department of Health Bureau of EMS. In 2005, he received the Mary Ann Talley award for EMS education from the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians.
