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Towing, Recovery, Road Service Technician, Towing Safety Trainer, Tow Truck, Wrecker, Car-Carrier, Flatbed, Wheel-Lift, Under-Reach, Vehicle Recovery, Vehicle Relocation, Non-Consent Towing, Motor Club, Road Service, Trailer, Winch, Tow Chain, business owner

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

This expert has over 35 years of hands-on towing, specialized transport, vehicle crash recovery, and road service experience as a professionally trained towing operator, a towing company owner, and as a towing industry safety consultant. He has held national towing certifications through the Towing and Recovery Association of America and Wreckmaster, as well as having completed several traffic incident management and other towing-related safety programs. He has taught over 150 towing and roadway safety seminars to towing operators throughout the Midwest and has written over 200 towing-related safety articles for several towing industry trade magazines. He is currently a monthly contributor to a magazine, and author of a safety program, and is a member of the Professional Towing and Recovery Operators of Illinois.

EDUCATION

  • SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY
    BS Degree / Fire Emergency Management
  • HARPER COLLEGE
    AAS Degree / Fire Science

PROFESSIONAL WORK EXPERIENCE

  • 1995-Current
    FIRE DEPARTMENT
    Fire Chief
  • 2001-2015
    ERNIE’S TOWING, INC.
    Co-Owner
  • 1997-2012
    MIDWEST FLEET SAFETY, INC.
    Independent Fleet Safety Consultant
  • 1995-1997
    ROAD ONE, INC.
    Midwest Regional Towing Safety Manager
  • 1986-1995
    O’HARE TRUCK SERVICE, INC.
    Towing Safety Manager

TRAINING, QUALIFICATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS

  • 1986 Towing and Recovery Association of America- Basic Skills for Light Duty Towing
  • 1987 International Recovery Associates – Air Cushion Recovery Procedures
  • 1987 International Recovery Associates – Towing and Recovery
  • 1988 Towing and Recovery Association of America – Fundamentals of Heavy Recovery
  • 1992 Illinois Hazardous Materials Advisory Board – Haz-Mat First Responder – Awareness
  • 1993 Illinois Hazardous Materials Advisory Board -Haz-Mat First Responder – Operations
  • 1994 Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal – Firefighter III Certification
  • 1994 National Safety Council – DDC-4 Defensive Driving Course
  • 1994 Safe Towing and Recovery Seminar (STARS) – Planning and Presenting Effective Driver Training
  • 1995 Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal – Instructor-I Certification
  • 1995 Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal – Officer-I Certification
  • 1996 Illinois Department of Public Health – Emergency Medical Tech / Paramedic License
  • 1997 Towing and Recovery Association of America – Level 1 – Light Duty Towing and Recovery Cert
  • 1997 Towing and Recovery Association of America – Level 2 – Nationally Certified Master Tower Cert
  • 1999 JJ Keller & Associates – Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations
  • 1999 Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal – Haz-Mat Technician “A” Certification
  • 1999 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration – Child Passenger Safety Technician Certification
  • 2000 American Safety & Health Institute – Instructor Certification
  • 2000 National Traffic Safety Institute Level 1 – Instructor Certification
  • 2001 Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal – Haz-Mat Technician “B” Certification
  • 2001 National Fire Academy – Emergency Response to Terrorism
  • 2002 Illinois Fire Service Institute – Fire Apparatus Engineer Certification
  • 2002 JJ Keller & Associates – Safe & Smart Driver Training – Instructor
  • 2004 Illinois Fire Chief’s Association    Instructor II Certification
  • 2004 Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal – Fire Service Vehicle Operator Certification
  • 2005 Federal Emergency Management Agency – IS 700; National Incident Management System
  • 2005 Intergovernmental Risk Management Agency – Emergency Traffic Control (ETC)
  • 2005 North American Transportation Management Institute – Safety and DOT Compliance
  • 2005 Illinois Fire Service Institute – Haz-mat Incident Management System
  • 2005 National Safety Council – Certified Emergency Vehicle Operator (CEVO II)
  • 2006 US Department of Homeland Security – WMD Standardized Awareness Program
  • 2006 Federal Emergency Management Agency – IS 200; Single Resource & Initial Action Incidents
  • 2006 Federal Emergency Management Agency – IS 800; National Response Plans (NRP)
  • 2009 Federal Emergency Management Agency – ICS 300; NIMS Incident Command training
  • 2009 Federal Emergency Management Agency – ICS 400; NIMS Incident Command training
  • 2009 National Safety Council – CEVO-II Emergency Vehicle Train-the-Trainer
  • 2010 Federal Emergency Management Agency – IS 701; NIMS Multi-Agency Coordination System
  • 2010 Federal Emergency Management Agency – IS 703a; NIMS Resource Management
  • 2010 Federal Emergency Management Agency – IS 704; NIMS Comm & Information Management
  • 2011 Illinois Fire Service Instructors Association – Incident Safety Officer Certification
  • 2011 Arlington Heights (IL) Fire Academy – Technical Rescue Awareness
  • 2012 Illinois Department of Transportation & SIU-E – Highway Traffic Incident Management
  • 2015 Illinois Department of Transportation & SIU-E – Highway Traffic Incident Management
  • 2015 National Fire Protection Assoc. Training Program – Electric Vehicle Safety Training
  • 2015 Fire Department Instructor Conference (FDIC) – Safety Leadership
  • 2015 Fire Department Instructor Conference (FDIC) – Large Truck Extrication
  • 2015 Fire Department Instructor Conference (FDIC) – Highway Incident Safety
  • 2019 Wreckmaster – Level 2/3 Towing & Recovery Program
  • 2020 FEMA – National Fire Academy – ICS-300 Intermediate ICS for Expanding Incident
  • 2020 FEMA – National Fire Academy – ICS-400 Advanced ICS for Command & Staff
  • 2020 United Academy – Third Party Hauling Safety Requirements
  • 2021 Center for Public Safety Excellence – Chief Fire Officer Certification
  • 2021 Wreckmaster (TowCert.com) – Towing Recovery Operator Certification-1

SEMINARS AND PRESENTATIONS: Available Upon Request.

PUBLISHED ARTICLES IN TOWING INDUSTRY TRADE PERIODICAL: Available Upon Request.

SPECIAL PROJECTS:  Available Upon Request.

REFERENCES:  Available Upon Request.


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