After serving 25 years with the Fairfax County (VA) Fire and Rescue Department, Jim retired at the rank of Deputy Chief, having served in operations, Emergency Medical Services, administration, and communications. Since joining EMSI’s cadre, he has been actively providing services in the field of emergency management, including disaster response, exercise design and delivery, program development, and instruction in the Incident Command System.

During his career, Jim was active in the development of the department’s Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) Team, as well as FEMA’s ESF-9 National Urban Search and Rescue Response System and the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance’s (OFDA) International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG). He also served as the Program Manager for the Fire Department’s US&R team for many years. Serving since its inception in 1992, Jim has been a member of the FEMA ESF-9 Incident Support Team (IST) and oversaw the Blue IST Team as its Team Leader from 2000 to 2007. He remains involved in national and international search and rescue programs and responses.
As part of his emergency response experience, Jim has responded to many national and international disasters including numerous hurricanes, the Oklahoma City bombing, the Pentagon and World Trade Center, Hurricanes Andrew and Katrina, the Haiti earthquake, and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, among others.

Recognized as a national incident management expert, Jim has made significant contributions to the emergency management field, consulting in a variety of emergency and disaster management fields. Examples include: developing the National Mutual Aid and Resource Management System and the National Credentialing System Initiatives of the National Incident Management System (NIMS); ICS instruction to Federal, State, local, and industry responders; assisting in numerous community tabletop and full- scale emergency preparedness exercises across the country; and providing technical writing, meeting design and facilitation, and program and training development. Jim has additionally provided support to the National Disaster Medical System on training and program development.

Jim has held certifications as an Incident Commander, Operations Section Chief, Planning Section Chief, Resource Unit Leader, and Situation Unit Leader. He additionally holds B.S. Degrees from the University of Tennessee in Business Administration and from George Mason University in Fire Administration.