There are dozens of fire programs from the northernmost part of West Virginia to the tip of Florida. Still, these fire science instructors stand out from the rest for their years of service, rank, and education. For their accomplishments, they have made our list of top 13 fire science instructors of the Southeast.
| PHOTO | PROFESSOR | SCHOOL | BIO |
|---|---|---|---|
| April Elmore | City of Virginia Beach Fire | Captain Elmore brings 23 years of service in the field and in instruction to her role in the Department of Fire Programs. She is Commander of the Virginia Beach Fire Department Honor Guard. | |
| Barbara Russo | Fayetteville State University | Dr. Russo serves as Assistant Professor of Fire Science and Director of the Fire Science Program. She completed her PhD Oklahoma State University I 2013. | |
| Barry Baker | Fire & Emergency Services Program, M.E. Rinker, Sr. School of Building Construction, University of Florida | Baker, Florida State Fire Marshal, also serves as Bureau Chief and Superintendent of Firefighter Standards and Training. He has been a senior instructor for the Florida Fire Chiefs. Association, Emergency Services Leadership Institute. | |
| Jack Crandell | Tidewater Regional Fire Academy | Crandell is the Battalion Chief of Fire Training for the Virginia Beach Fire Department, where he has 25 years of service. He is also an instructor for the Virginia Department of Emergency Management. | |
| Jim McPherson | Darton State College | McPherson Heads the FAST-TRACK Paramedic Program at Darton State College. He has been a Instructor of EMS since 2009. | |
| M. Stuart McElhaney | Fire & Emergency Services Program, M.E. Rinker, Sr. School of Building Construction, University of Florida | McElhaney serves as Marion County Board of County Commissioners – Assistant County Administrator and Fire Chief. In addition, he has served on the Florida Division of Forestry Interagency Incident Management Team since 1996. | |
| Michael Pariser | Northern Virginia Community College | Professor Pariser serves as Assistant Dean, Fire Science, at NVCC, the largest fire science community college program in the Commonwealth. | |
| Philip Hill | Greenville Technical College | Hill is Department Head – Fire Science Technology at GTC. He completed 25 years of fire service experience prior to teaching and is now Coordinator of the South Carolina Fire Academy. | |
| R. Wayne Baber | Virginia Fire Marshal Academy | Deputy Chief Baber has 22 years of service with the Virginia Fire Academy. He oversees recertification training for fire marshals in the Commonwealth and still teaches. | |
| Tommy Brooks | Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College | Brooks is District Commander with the Asheville Fire Department, where he has served for 22 years. He is HazMat Coordinator for the Asheville Fire and a Team Leader the NC HazMat Regional Response – Team 6. | |
| Tracey Smith | West Georgia Technical College | Smith is EMS Department Chair and Instructor at West Georgia Technical College. She received her diploma at West Georgia Medical Center. | |
| Tracy McMillion | Southwest Florida Public Service Academy | Chief McMillion holds a Fire & Emergency Service Officer certification from the University of Florida. He began his career as a volunteer firefighter with City of Eatonville Fire Rescue. | |
| Travis Ford | Volunteer State Community College | Nashville Fire Department District Chief Ford has spend 25 years with the department. He is Vice-Chair for the National Fire Science Degree Programs Committee. |