Public safety radio systems, emergency management, and communications administration. Twenty five years spanning radio system consulting, agency communications logistics, and frontline emergency services. This page is the working version of my CV. If you need a formal copy for a role, a panel, or a credentialing file, reach me through the contact page.

Profile

Public safety communications professional with twenty five years spanning radio system consulting, agency communications logistics, and frontline emergency services. Licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as an Amateur Extra Class operator, call sign AF4CZ.

Managed a county fire rescue department’s radio fleet in daily coordination with its Radio System Administrator, and programmed and fielded hundreds of interoperable radios for a National Special Security Event with zero losses. Programs and installs radios of nearly every major make from HF through gigahertz, with particular depth in Harris and now L3Harris mobile and portable equipment.

Every National Incident Management System (NIMS) course required for a communications administration role, ICS-100, 200, 300, 400, 700, and 800, is complete, with the advanced courses taken in residence at the Center for Domestic Preparedness. Represented a regional health system on the Georgia Emergency Management Agency All-Hazards Council.

Author of a comprehensive technical reference on Project 25 (P25) trunked radio systems, and publisher of a bilingual English and Spanish library on public safety communications and emergency management covering the United States and Latin America.

Prepared to administer a P25 trunked network from day one and to support the 911 and Emergency Management Agency (EMA) Director across the full emergency management portfolio.

Core capabilities

• Project 25 (P25) trunked radio system operations
• Radio fleet programming and lifecycle management
• FCC licensing, spectrum, and tower compliance
• Interoperability and mutual aid communications
• Vendor coordination, repair depots, and warranties
• Procurement, quotes, and supply chain management
• Preventive maintenance and change control
• End user training and technical support
• NIMS ICS-100 through 800, all complete
• Emergency planning and grant applications
• Network administration (CompTIA Network+)
• SQL reporting and database administration

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, explaining upgrade and replacement options in plain language across conventional analog, federal 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 changes for a trunked system.
• Performed indoor 2.4 and 5 GHz wireless network surveys for departments and individuals seeking a subject matter expert on radio frequency equipment and operations.
• Advised department representatives and stakeholders on current system status and deficiencies, the cost of staying versus converting to newer technology, and negotiation approaches aimed at an outcome where every agency wins as much as a limited budget allows.
• Stayed current on industry standards and on promising and controversial technologies ahead of their arrival, so client guidance reflected the market as it was rather than as it had been.
• 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, maintained, and operational at all times.
• Coordinated repairs with Motorola service centers and the Motorola 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, confirming operational capability before any unit entered service.
• Translated field user needs into equipment, accessory, and programming choices, obtained vendor quotes, and managed purchases 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, built Oracle SQL reports for command staff, and supported cellular devices, MiFi units, and mobile data terminals alongside county information systems staff.
• Audited patient care reports for protocol compliance, created key performance indicators, delivered continuing education, and built the department promotional examination program for paramedics.

Acheron Review. Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Technology Officer. 2012 to present.

• Took an idea and built it into a viable, durable certification exam preparation company with a catalog of medical and industry review courses, leading a staff of eight across content development, operations, and technology for fourteen years.
• Function as both executive and technologist: designed and built the company websites on self hosted infrastructure, apply security best practices across the platform, and manage the networking, hosting, and backup of every business system.
• Expanding the catalog into radio communications and technology, with examination preparation in development for the FCC General Radiotelephone Operator License, the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System, and amateur licensing, to launch on a new custom examination platform.

Amateur Radio and Radio Technology Practice. FCC Amateur Extra Class, AF4CZ. Ongoing.

• Program, install, and maintain mobile and portable radios of nearly every major make on numerous system types, from HF through gigahertz, with a strong working background in Harris and now L3Harris equipment.
• Diagnose problems, determine workable solutions, and match radios, antennas, accessories, and programming to the needs of the requesting person or agency; deploy WiFi and hotspots on request.
• Practice with RF plotting and coverage prediction software and with networking concepts including quality of service and VLAN segmentation, grounded in certification, coursework, simulation, and real world use.

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.

Information technology projects and labs

Hands on build and administration work across structured labs, simulations, and self hosted production systems.

• Built and administered lab networks in Cisco Packet Tracer and executed Windows and Linux command line work alongside Cisco configuration commands.
• Installed and configured DHCP with UDP forwarding, DNS servers and records, forward lookup zones, and Microsoft Hyper-V with a configured load balancer.
• Installed and managed security information and event management (SIEM) platforms and endpoint protection, and worked with pfSense firewalls using the LDAP protocol.
• Configured remote server management over SSH and RDP, site to site and client VPNs, and virtual desktop access.
• Configured network load balancing, network interface card teaming, and server failover clustering; monitored network devices and troubleshot common failures.
• Performed WiFi analysis with dedicated software, including bandwidth, protocol, and port analysis, and worked with FTP, TFTP, SMB, and SNMP services.

Public safety, emergency management, and clinical experience

• Northeast Georgia Health System EMS. EMT, mentor, and subject matter expert. 2025 to present. Provide field emergency care, mentor newer providers, support continuing education, and assist with information technology deployment and repair for the systems medics rely on in the field and at station.
• Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital and Anesthesia Associates of Gainesville. Staff Anesthetist. 2011 to 2018. Delivered anesthesia in high acuity operating rooms, including coverage of a Level II trauma center. Precepted anesthesia students in daily clinical practice.
• Georgia Department of Defense, Georgia State Defense Force. First Lieutenant, Physician Assistant. 2009 to 2012. Commissioned officer providing medical support and field leadership at the order of the Governor and the Georgia Army National Guard Adjutant General. Trained combat medics from novice to experienced levels; 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 EMS crews and public safety agencies.
• White County Fire Department. Firefighter, Paramedic, HAZMAT Technician, Training Officer. 2008 to 2010. Line firefighter, paramedic, and hazardous materials technician; training officer responsible for department instruction.
• White County EMS. EMT and Paramedic. 2004 to 2010. Provided prehospital emergency response and patient care across the county.
• Aiken County HAZMAT. Hazardous Materials Specialist. 2005 to 2007. Member of the regional hazardous materials response team, with coverage that included the Savannah River Site.
• 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; the grant was awarded. Represented the health system on the Georgia Emergency Management Agency All-Hazards Council and maintained compliance with USDOT, EPA, OSHA, NFPA, and JCAHO standards.

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.

Communications continuing education. RF and Antenna Fundamentals; Introduction to Telecommunications and Signal Processing; VoIP Design and Telephony Fundamentals; Foundations of SIP; SIP in Cellular Networks; 4G LTE Technology, Architecture, and Protocols; 5G Architecture and Key Principles; Wireless Networking Fundamentals.

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, Anniston, Alabama. FEMA Professional Development Series (IS-139 Exercise Design, IS-230 Fundamentals of Emergency Management, IS-235 Emergency Planning, IS-240 Leadership and Influence, IS-241 Decision Making and Problem Solving, IS-242 Effective Communication, IS-244 Developing and Managing Volunteers). IS-015 Special Events Contingency Planning. Additional independent study including IS-001 Emergency Program Manager, IS-003 Radiological Emergency Management, IS-010 and IS-011 Animals in Disaster, and IS-195 Basic ICS. Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). Communications Unit Leader (COML) prerequisites complete and ready for the next Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency offering.

GEMA and field delivered courses. ICS and EOC Interface; High Angle Rope Rescue; Crash Victim Extrication; Patient Handling and Vehicle Extrication; Snake Bite and Venomous Reptile Medical Management.

Hazardous materials and homeland security. HAZMAT Incident Commander. Weapons of Mass Destruction HAZMAT Technician, US Department of Homeland Security, Center for Domestic Preparedness. WMD Incident Complexities. WMD Hospital Provider Course. Public Safety Response Sampling Techniques, HAZMAT Technician Level (LSU and DHS). Emergency Response to Railroad Incidents (CSX Transportation). Modular Emergency Response Radiological Transportation Training, US Department of Energy. HAZWOPER. Advanced HAZMAT Life Support Provider and Instructor.

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; Health and Safety Officer; Managing Company Tactical Operations I; NPQ Firefighter I; NPQ Wildland Firefighter I; Georgia Forestry Type II Wildland Firefighter.

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 and Certified Python Developer.

Information technology continuing education. Linux Mastery; Linux Administration and Command Line; Bash Mastery Scripting; Windows PowerShell Mastery; VMware and vSphere Administration; Cloud Computing Essentials; Implementing the NIST Cybersecurity Framework; Implementing the NIST Risk Management Framework; Fundamentals of OT Security (ICS and SCADA); Zero Trust Security; SSL and TLS Essentials; OpenVPN and WireGuard; Endpoint Protection; Practical Network Security; IT Networking Fundamentals: Packet Switching; Risk Management for IT Professionals; Security in Office 365; Cryptography, Encryption Algorithms, and Advanced Cryptographic Concepts; Securing Internet of Things; RFID Programming and Security.

Medical. Physician Assistant, NCCPA Certified. Georgia EMT-Intermediate, current through March 2027, functioning at paramedic level since 2007. Prior BLS, ACLS, and PALS instructor. Advanced Burn Life Support. Prehospital Trauma Life Support. Core Disaster Life Support.

Languages. English, fluent. Spanish, intermediate.

Education

• Emory University, Master of Medical Science, 2011.
• Medical College of Georgia, Bachelor of Science, Physician Assistant Studies, 2007.
• University of North Georgia (Gainesville State College), Associate of Science and Associate of Applied Science in Fire Science, 2004.
• Lanier Technical College, Fire Science Technology Diploma, 2002.
• Gwinnett Technical College, EMT Diploma, 2001.