Communications and radio systems have been the throughline of my whole working life. They are the reason I went into the fire service, into EMS, and into medicine. I kept taking the jobs that were open while I chased the one I have wanted since I was sixteen: to work at the intersection of Emergency Management and Communications, where the radio meets the mission.

Along the way I found real success in both worlds. I volunteered wherever I could, consulted on radio systems on the side, and learned everything I could get my hands on about how public safety talks to itself when it matters most. This site is where I put that down in writing: a bilingual English and Spanish library of practical guides on public safety radio and communications, written from the field rather than from a brochure.

What I do

I am a public safety communications professional with twenty-five years spanning radio system consulting, agency communications logistics, and frontline emergency services. I am licensed by the FCC as an Amateur Extra Class operator (call sign AF4CZ). I have managed a county fire rescue department’s radio fleet in daily coordination with its Radio System Administrator, and I have programmed and fielded hundreds of interoperable radios for a National Special Security Event with zero losses. I am the author of a 130-chapter technical reference on Project 25 (P25) trunked radio systems, and the publisher of this blog.

Emergency management

Emergency management is not a pivot for me; it is the other half of the work I have always done. I have completed every NIMS Incident Command System course from ICS-100 through ICS-800, with ICS-300 and ICS-400 taken in residence at the Center for Domestic Preparedness in Anniston, Alabama, and my Communications Unit Leader (COML) prerequisites are complete. I wrote a decontamination and weapons of mass destruction response plan for a regional health system, served as incident commander in the safety manager’s absence, supported a Department of Homeland Security grant that funded decontamination, hazardous materials, and communications equipment, and represented that health system on the Georgia Emergency Management Agency All-Hazards Council.

I hold HAZMAT Incident Commander and Weapons of Mass Destruction HAZMAT Technician (DHS) qualifications, completed the FEMA Professional Development Series including Emergency Planning and Exercise Design, and served as a commissioned officer and physician assistant in the Georgia State Defense Force. Running through all of it is the communications backbone that every emergency operation ultimately depends on. I am prepared to support a 911 center and an Emergency Management Agency director across the full portfolio: planning, interoperability, grants, training, exercises, and technology.

Communications and technical experience

Communications Systems Consultant, Independent Practice (2001 to 2024)

• Advised public safety agencies and private clients on how their existing systems compared with available technology, across conventional analog, narrowbanding requirements, P25 digital trunking, DMR, and NXDN.
• Recommended remedies for coverage dead areas, including bi-directional amplifiers and mobile repeaters, and set realistic expectations on portable versus mobile performance and on what adding or removing a site does to a trunked system.
• Performed indoor 2.4 and 5 GHz wireless network surveys as a recognized subject matter expert on radio frequency equipment and operations.
• Authored Principles and Practice of Public Safety Radio Communications, a 130-chapter technical reference covering P25 trunked architecture, simulcast operations, FCC licensing, interoperability, subscriber programming, and system administration.

Hall County Fire Rescue, Support Services: Communications, Supply, and Quality Assurance (2015 to 2024)

• Managed the department’s radio and telecommunications inventory in coordination with the Hall County Radio System Administrator, keeping portables, mobiles, and accessories tracked, programmed, and operational.
• Coordinated repairs with Motorola service centers and the repair depot, verified the quality and cost of completed work, and tracked warranty coverage to recover repair costs whenever possible.
• Performed diagnostics, maintenance, and repair of portables, remote speaker microphones, and accessories before any unit entered service.
• Managed purchasing of radios, batteries, and accessories, including a nationwide battery sourcing effort that resolved a critical supply shortage; served as sole administrator of the warehouse management system; and built Oracle SQL reports for command staff.
• Audited patient care reports for protocol compliance, created key performance indicators, delivered continuing education, and built the department promotional examination program for paramedics.

Georgia Mutual Aid Group, Telecommunicator and Radio Technician, G8 Summit, Sea Island (2004)

• Obtained, programmed, distributed, tracked, and recovered a cache of hundreds of radios supporting mutual aid departments and state agencies during a National Special Security Event, with zero equipment losses.

Acheron Review, Founder and Chief Executive Officer (2012 to present)

• Built and operate an online certification exam preparation company, directing content development, a staff of eight, and self-hosted WordPress infrastructure. Expanded the catalog into radio communications, including preparation for the FCC General Radiotelephone Operator License, the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System, and amateur licensing.

Public safety and emergency management experience

• Northeast Georgia Health System EMS, EMT, Mentor, and Subject Matter Expert (2025 to present). Provide field emergency care, mentor newer providers, and assist with information technology deployment and repair for the systems medics rely on in the field and at station.
• Georgia Department of Defense, Georgia State Defense Force, First Lieutenant, Physician Assistant (2009 to 2012). Commissioned officer providing medical support and field leadership under the Governor and the Adjutant General; trained combat medics; qualified as Search and Rescue Specialist II.
• Habersham Regional Medical Center, Emergency Medicine Physician Assistant (2007 to 2010). Emergency care provider in the county’s twenty-bed emergency department, working daily with the EMS crews these radio systems serve.
• Northeast Georgia Health System, Assistant Safety Manager (2004 to 2005). Wrote the decontamination and weapons of mass destruction response plan for the regional health system and served as incident commander in the safety manager’s absence. Assisted with the Department of Homeland Security grant application that funded decontamination, hazardous materials, and communications equipment, and represented the health system on the Georgia Emergency Management Agency All-Hazards Council.
• Additional service. White County Fire Department firefighter, paramedic, HAZMAT technician, and training officer (2008 to 2010); Aiken County, South Carolina HAZMAT team covering the Savannah River Site (2005 to 2007); White County EMS (2004 to 2010); and Level II trauma center anesthetist (2011 to 2018).

Licenses and certifications

Radio and communications. FCC Amateur Radio License, Extra Class (AF4CZ); FCC General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) License; FCC General Radiotelephone Operator License (GROL), examination in progress; coursework in RF and antenna fundamentals, VoIP telephony, and wireless networking.

Emergency management. NIMS ICS-100, ICS-200, ICS-300, ICS-400, IS-700, and IS-800, all complete, with ICS-300 and ICS-400 taken in residence at the Center for Domestic Preparedness in Anniston, Alabama; ICS and Emergency Operations Center Interface; the FEMA Professional Development Series including Emergency Planning and Exercise Design; Community Emergency Response Team (CERT); and Communications Unit Leader (COML) prerequisites complete.

Hazardous materials and homeland security. HAZMAT Incident Commander; Weapons of Mass Destruction HAZMAT Technician (DHS); Advanced HAZMAT Life Support Instructor; HAZWOPER; and radiological transportation training with the US Department of Energy.

Fire service. Georgia Certified Firefighter; Georgia Department of Public Safety Fire Service Instructor; Managing Fire Services (ICMA); Fire Service Leadership I, II, and III; Incident Safety Officer; and Health and Safety Officer.

Information technology. CompTIA Network+ (current through December 2027); Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate; Microsoft Certified Azure Fundamentals; Microsoft Certified 365 Fundamentals; GRC Analyst Master Class (TCM Security); Certified SQL Developer; Certified Python Developer; and coursework in Linux administration, the NIST Risk Management Framework, and operational technology security (ICS and SCADA).

Medical. Physician Assistant, NCCPA Certified; Georgia EMT-Intermediate (current through March 2027); and prior BLS, ACLS, and PALS instructor.

Education

• Emory University, Master of Medical Science, 2011
• Medical College of Georgia, Bachelor of Science, 2007
• University of North Georgia, Associate of Science and AAS in Fire Science, 2004
• Lanier Technical College, Fire Science Diploma, 2002
• Gwinnett Technical College, EMT-Intermediate, 2001