With over thirty years of experience in the Kern County (California) Fire Department, Dana brings significant expertise in local Incident Management to the EMSI cadre. Recently retiring as a Station Captain, he has responded to all emergency types, including structure and wildland fires, aircraft incidents, hazardous materials and refinery incidents, train derailments, and medical incidents in the department’s busiest stations.

As a member of local and National Incident Management Teams for the last fourteen years, Dana’s extensive Incident Command System experience and knowledge is brought to bear on every incident and course in which he participates. Through his National Incident Management Team membership, he has been involved in over fifty team responses, including wildland and interface fires, Exotic Newcastle Disease breakouts, and major flood events. As a Type 1 Logistics Section Chief, Dana continues to develop his in-depth skills in ICS as a member of California Interagency Incident Management Team #5; directing ordering, receiving, storing and distributing all equipment and supplies; providing food, medical, repair service, and facilities for complex all-hazard incidents; and administering National Catering and Showering contracts as a Contracting Officer Representative. In addition, Dana has served as HazMat Group Supervisor in the aftermath of a major train derailment and for numerous highway cargo incidents involving pesticides and other toxic products.

Dana’s years of consistent, skilled performance and expertise as an ICS instructor, evaluator, and coach over the last 15 years is invaluable.  As a mentor/coach or evaluator, he has been involved with numerous full scale exercises, functional, and table top exercises, and completed his DHS Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation (HSEEP) qualification to ensure that exercises meet federally recommended guidelines. Serving both industry and government clients at various levels, Dana has assisted the states of Indiana and Rhode lsland; the city of Los Angeles; Southern California Edison; and an oil pipe line consortium with their exercise and evaluation needs.

Indicative of his education and experience, he has additionally taught at the prestigious Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEXS) conducting courses on Logistics Section Chief, Emergency Operations Centers, Cyber Response, Oil Response, and ICS training. He has also worked as an instructor for the University of Missouri, teaching  All-Hazards IMT, Logistics Section Chief, Supply Unit Leader, and Facilities Unit Leader courses.

Dana holds an Associate’s Degree in Liberal Arts from Cerro Coso College, a Fire Science Certificate from Bakersfield College, and is a graduate of Advanced Incident Command from the National Advanced Resource Training Center. He additionally is a certified Type 1 Logistics Section Chief, Facilities Unit Leader, Ground Support Unit Leader, Food Unit Leader, Medical Unit Leader, and Supply Unit Leader, as well as successfully completing courses at the California Specialized Training Institute, earning certifications as a Hazardous Materials Specialist, Arson Investigator, and in Technical Rescue Systems.