Professional Contributions
Phoenix-Metro Wildland Special Operations Program
Co-developed the concept, lobbied for support, and implemented the ‘Car 19’ Wildland Special Operations Program for the Central Arizona Wildland Response Team. Contributed to writing SOGs, SOPs, and policy, and helped oversee program operations. This initiative dramatically increased firefighter safety and reduced close-call and near-miss incidents by over 65% in its first year.
Arizona State Virtual Incident Management Organization
Worked with AZ DFFM personnel to develop and lead the Arizona State Virtual Incident Management Organization. This included designing software tools, policies, SOGs, and training, as well as procuring and deploying equipment. The program reduced costs and risk exposure by eliminating the need for office staff to travel to incidents, while building depth in incident management capacity. The model was later copied by federal land management agencies and is now used nationwide.
Arizona State All-Hazard Qualification System 'Yellow-Cards'
Assisted Arizona State Forestry in developing the state’s first all-hazard qualification system. My role included drafting policies, guidelines, qualification documents, and task books; running meetings; and training government agencies. This system, modeled after NWCG standards, became the first statewide all-hazard qualification process in Arizona, improving consistency and professionalism across jurisdictions.
NWCG Strategic Risk Assessment Tool
Developed a chart-based tool for the National Advanced Fire and Resource Institute (NAFRI) to help facilitate group discussions on organizational and strategic risk. The tool was adopted nationally by S-520 Advanced Incident Management Teams as part of their risk management training, strengthening leadership decision-making under high-risk conditions.
SWIMT #3 Incident Action Plan Tool
Partnered with Southwest IMT #3 to build a Microsoft 365-based planning suite that enabled collaborative, cloud-based incident planning. The tool improved planning accuracy, reduced staff workload, and allowed personnel from across the nation to simultaneously contribute to and review incident action plans in real time.
AZ DFFM Resource Tracking and Strategic Planning Tool
In collaboration with AZ DFFM employees, co-developed a Google Workspace-based tool adapted from the SWIMT #3 planning suite. This tool provided the ability to track resources, monitor costs, and quickly generate incident planning documents in a shared cloud environment. It enhanced digital collaboration and streamlined planning processes across incident management teams.