Fire Officer and IT Specialist — leading shift operations and directing technology for public safety agencies.
Over twenty years in emergency services — starting as a volunteer, then a commercial EMT, before moving into the fire service as a firefighter/paramedic, then an engine company officer, and eventually a shift commander overseeing a 14-person crew and incident command for major alarms across engine, rescue, ladder, and marine units. Credentialed to Fire Officer 4 and Fire Instructor 2.
Over twenty years in emergency services — several of them also spent managing the technology underneath it — close enough to the job to know what actually breaks, technical enough to fix it.
His fire service experience includes serving as a shift commander — training and readiness for a 14-person crew, and incident command for major alarms across engine, rescue, ladder, and marine units. On the technology side, his background spans leading a Microsoft 365 migration, multi-district data and mobile-device projects, and vendor evaluation for the software platforms a public safety agency depends on.
He's helped write grant applications that have brought in more than $6 million for apparatus, training, and staffing; co-directs a 125-year-old fire service historical library; and co-developed a community paramedicine program connecting vulnerable residents to services after an emergency call. His experience in all of this is with West Haven Fire Department — this site, though, is personal, independent of the department, and reflects his own views, not an official one. This site is here to give a fuller picture than a résumé or LinkedIn headline can.
The only real qualification to lead is having someone willing to follow. Good organizations build around their informal leaders instead of overriding them — teams with real trust and expertise will set aside the chain of command "and function better because of it."
"Always" and "never" are claims to interrogate, not conclusions — and the standard for moral maturity should scale with responsibility, not stay fixed as rank grows.
Trust comes from how mistakes get handled, not from a record of avoiding them — the opposite of a "project confidence, hide doubt" model of leadership.
Fire Officer 4·Fire Instructor 2·CT & National Paramedic·ICS 800·HazMat Ops·CompTIA A+·Microsoft 365 Fundamentals (MS-900)
Distinguished Service Award and Community Service Award (WHFD) · three Unit Citations, including three code saves with YNHCEMS. BS in Public Safety Administration, Charter Oak State College — anticipated 2027, Dean's List.
A chart that gets passed around the fire service sorts members into three groups by how they treat the job. He thinks about it whenever he works on improving the department. Technology is the medium he does that work in.
Take responsibility past their own assignment. Look for what could be better and fix it without being told.
Dependable and do what is required. They don't invest in the place beyond that.
Occupy the role without investing in it. Resist change and drain the people around them.
Adapted from Joe Tye's Culture of Ownership (Values Coach, 2015).
Simon Sinek
Leaders who inspire others start with purpose, the why, before the how or the what. Sinek calls this framework the Golden Circle.
It is important because it gets to the root of values, motivation, and how important it is to speak the language of values and vision. Understanding values in yourself, values of the organization, and of the people you bring into your team.
L. David Marquet
A submarine captain's true story of moving a struggling crew from a command-and-obey culture to one where leadership lives at every level.
It is great for empowering your team. It is the anti-micromanagement book.
Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
Two former Navy SEAL officers draw leadership lessons from combat in Iraq and show how they carry over to business and any other team.
It is a great perspective for leadership.
Dale Carnegie
First published in 1936. Practical habits for getting along with people and persuading them, like taking a real interest in others and avoiding criticism.
It is critical for anyone that wants to lead without rank and influence decision makers, or deals with the public or in customer service.
Martha Stout
A psychologist argues that roughly one in twenty-five people has no conscience, and explains how to recognize them and protect yourself.
It is important to understand. In a hierarchical structure, narcissists and sociopaths tend to work their way to higher positions. It can be helpful to understand that they are out there and your organization needs to be protected from them.