Dennis is currently Division Chief (part-time), Garden Valley Fire Protection District, Calif., and Operations Specialist (part-time) for FEMA. He is also a certified NIMS/ICS instructor for Department of Homeland Security, Center for Domestic Preparedness.
He serves on Command Staff of a type 1 National Interagency Incident Management Team (Team #1-McGowen in Calif.). He is currently qualified type 1 Planning Section Chief, Safety Officer, Public Information Officer, and Liaison Officer.
Dennis retired in 2009 after 40-year career with U.S. Forest Service where he progressed through the ranks from firefighter to Assistant Director, Fire and Aviation Management for Pacific Southwest Region (California, Hawaii, and Pacific Island territories and affiliated Nations). His duties included 8 years primary Forest Service liaison to FEMA, where he deployed as member of FEMA Incident Management Assistance Teams to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Southern Calif. Wildfires, and several typhoons and other disasters in western Pacific.
His emergency management experience includes wildland fires, floods, hurricanes, typhoons, oil spills, drought disasters, and emergency feeding (Micronesia). He served as NIMS/ICS Advisor and ICS Instructor at Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010. He has over 25 years on type 1 Interagency Incident Management Teams in various command and general staff positions.
Dennis began working with the Incident Command System in the early 1980's while stationed in California. He is a certified facilitator and instructor (U.S. Forest Service, Department of Homeland Security, California Fire Marshall) in NIMS/ICS. He teaches ICS-200/300/400 as well as position specific ICS coursework for state, local, and Federal agencies and non-governmental personnel. He has also had unique international experience-- teaching NIMS/ICS in Brunei, Ethiopia, Lebanon, India, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Republic of Palau, and Federated States of Micronesia.
Dennis graduated from University of California, Berkeley in 1969 (B.S.--Forest Management). |
