Roundtable Talk - Hazmat Response Training — Zooming In from National to Local

Tom Miller is a 40 year veteran of the West Virginia fire service currently serving with the West Side Volunteer Fire Department. He is a Pro-Board certified Firefighter II, Fire Officer II,  Fire Instructor III and a Hazardous Materials Technician & Incident Commander.  Tom has been an Adjunct Instructor with West Virginia University Fire Service Extension since 1990 and has written numerous courses on specialized topics in emergency response and delivered them across the country.  Tom is a Life Member of the West Virginia State Firemen's Association.  He is the West Virginia Director to the NVFC and serves as the Chair of its Hazardous Materials Response and Homeland Security Committees and its Pandemic Response Task Group, as well as serving as an SME on various Technical Committees including the National Hazardous Materials Roundtable.  Tom also serves on the Standards & Codes; and Health, Safety & Training committees of the NVFC.  He is a Principal on the NFPA 470 (formerly 472/473/475/1072) Technical Committee.  Tom has  Bachelor of Science degree from West Virginia State University and a Master of Arts degree from the School of Education and Professional Studies at Marshall University.

David is a 22 year member of the fire service and currently serves as a Lieutenant and coassigned to the Training Division with the Columbia County Fire Rescue (Ga.) and a part time Firefighter with Grovetown (Ga) DPS. In addition, he serves on the Board of Directors for the Georgia State Firefighter's Association, National Volunteer Fire Council State Director, Georgia Pipeline Emergency Response Initiave Board of Directors, NFPA’s Working Group on Flammable Refrigerants, Alternate to NFPA 1021 and 1056 Committees, and was Secretary of IFSTA's Pumping Apparatus Driver Operator 3rd Edition Curriculum Committee, contributor to the “Training Officer’s Desk Reference”, and is a Safety and Health coordinator with HEPACO LLC. As an active instructor for the Georgia Fire Academy with Firefighter Basics, David is constantly engaged with teaching live fire, leadership, HAZMAT, and Firefighter Survival/RIT classes.

William E. Offerman is a retired Fire Chief with an extensive career spanning over four decades at the Elwood Fire Protection District in Elwood, IL. Throughout his tenure from 1981 to 2022, he demonstrated exceptional leadership and strategic planning skills, creating tactical alliances with organizational leaders to support key initiatives effectively. William is known for building and retaining high-performance teams by hiring, developing, and motivating skilled professionals. His expertise extends to emergency response, risk management, and multi-organizational collaboration, making him a strong decision maker and problem solver. His proficiency in hazardous materials, specifically for emergency response, incident command, and industry research uniquely qualify him to educate first responders in the field. This skillset was enhanced through various research projects on flammable refrigerants, chlorine, lithium-ion battery destructive testing, and vaporizing acid at the Nevada Nuclear Test Facility. Additionally, he served as the Village President of Elwood from 2009 to 2017, further showcasing his dedication to community relations and public service.

William holds a Master of Science in Public Safety Administration from Lewis University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Southern Illinois University. His numerous certifications, including Fire Officer III, Firefighter III, and Hazardous Materials Technician, highlight his commitment to continuous learning and professional development. As an instructor for the National Volunteer Fire Council, Partners in Training program, William has prepared first responders and instructors in hazardous materials incident response across the nation. 

Rachel Buczynski is a facilitator, educator, and instructional designer with two decades of experience supporting fire service organizations and other nonprofits. Rachel holds a B.A. from Texas A&M University and an M.S. Adult Education and Human Resource Development from James Madison University.