Instructors

Daniel Casner

Biography : Fire Service background with current employment with CalOES/CSTI in the Haz-Mat Division as an Instructor II.

Kathryn Ann Dollarhide

Biography : Kathryn Ann Dollarhide RN, BSN, CEN, CEM® Kathy Dollarhide is the Director of the Dignity Health St. Mary Medical Center Disaster Resource Center Program. She is a Certified Emergency Manager via the International Association of Emergency Managers. She is a certified HAZMAT Instructor via CSTI teaches nationally and coordinates multiagency disaster drills in Long Beach, California. She has coordinated mass casualty multiagency drills and HAZMAT training for over 20 years. She has been instrumental in placing Stop the Bleed Tourniquet kits everywhere there is an AED in the City of Long Beach as a city wide initiative including training all agencies on tourniquets and Mass Casualty Incidents. She runs large scale drills at the airport, port and schools on active shooter and chemical releases including CHEMPACK trainings. Kathy has been a training nurse for the LA FBI Swat Team in advanced airway and active shooter drills and runs table top exercises for Federal and private agencies on Burn/Trauma Surge/MCI and HAZMAT. She is an instructor and drill coordinator working with the California Border Protection and has been instrumental in coordinating Rescue Task Forces with Long Beach Fire Department and Long Beach Police Department in large scale community drills. For the past 15 years she has coordinated multiagency drills at the Long Beach Airport, Port of Long Beach, Port of Los Angeles as well as in 2018 a large scale Terrorist attack at the Carnival Cruise Terminal in Long Beach. She coordinates active shooter drills at all of the local universities. Kathy has been an civilian instructor for the Combat Care Casualty Courses teaching the Trauma Nursing Core Course, Combat Casualty as well has been a training officer for the Defense Medical Readiness Training Institute (DMRTI) for the Department of Defense at Fort Sam Houston. Prior to St. Mary Medical Center she was the Emergency Preparedness Consultant at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center Disaster Resource Center, the American Heart Association Community Training Coordinator and has been an ER nurse for 30 years. Her greatest accomplishments in life are her two children Kiely and Jeremy who are both in nursing school becoming ER/trauma nurses.

George Lane

Biography : George Lane is Hazmat instructor for Emergency Response Technology in Baton Rouge Louisiana. Lane's proposal for a hazmat course for the 2026 Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Workshop in Sacramento, "Case Study: Chemical Security to Protect Critical Infrastructure using FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared) Spectroscopy", teaches the use of standoff chemical-specific detectors using FTIR to mitigate risk. Lane's previous hazmat course development and instruction was funded by the California Office of Emergency Services (OES) in 2018 to mitigate detection gaps in chemical security at deepwater ports in California using CBRNE detectors. Lane received his MS in Chemistry in 2012 from Tulane University as Air Quality SME for the Deepwater Horizon Study Group during the BP Oil Spill; received his MS in Chemistry in 2000 from Southern University in Baton Rouge as a NASA Fellow at the Stennis Space Center; and received his BS in Chemical engineering in 1970 from LSU in Baton Rouge. Lane has 30 years of cumulative experience in chemical security instruction education at the University of California at Berkeley, Tulane University in New Orleans, the University of Georgia at Griffin, Southern University and LSU in Baton Rouge, and Emergency Response Technology in Baton Rouge. A project in which Lane taught chemistry online to minimize risks from transportation of hazmat chemicals was the "Regional Fenceline Monitoring" (RFLM) project in Louisiana. RFLM was selected “Best Rail Yard Chemical Monitoring and Detection” and “Best Integration of Cameras, Sensors, and Communications for Rail Safety” hazmat course by Government Security News (GSN) in 2017 to provide protection with FTIR standoff chemical detection for rail safety; “Louisiana protects children with standoff chemical detection", GSN, 2017, pgs 1, 6-9, www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/56793041/government-security-news-january-2017-digital-edition

Ejan Petrie

Biography : An EPA On-Scene Coordinator in the San Francisco Bay Area, this expert manages emergency responses to hazardous releases and oil spills, coordinating multi-agency strategies and community outreach. Previously, as a Senior Enforcement Officer at the EPA, they focused on FIFRA and TSCA, conducting high-profile inspections, securing penalties for illegal pesticide sales, and training federal and state partners. Seasoned hazardous materials safety professional with over 12 years of experience applying and shaping the DOT Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR; 49 CFR 171–180) across the aviation and maritime hazardous materials safety sectors. At FAA's Office of Hazardous Materials Safety, they led planning, development, implementation, and operational policy for the safe air transport of dangerous goods; coordinated with PHMSA to maintain and revise the HMR and aligned related Federal Aviation Regulations; advised the ICAO Dangerous Goods Panel and the UN Subcommittee of Experts; drafted U.S. positions and safety communications (SAFOs, Advisory Circulars, iNFOs), and advanced interagency guidance and MOUs. As an FAA Special Agent, they conducted inspections of air carriers and shippers, investigated violations under the Hazardous Materials Transportation Authorization Act, developed evidence-based enforcement case packages, initiated civil actions, and supported criminal investigations with DOT‑OIG. In the U.S. Coast Guard, they served as a Marine Environmental and Hazardous Materials Inspector enforcing HMTAA, the International Safe Container Act, and the IMDG Code at port facilities and aboard commercial vessels; led Coast Guard container inspection operations, oversaw the safe loading of 1.5 million pounds of explosives, issued Captain of the Port Orders, and coordinated multiagency responses to oil and hazardous materials incidents. Across roles, they have combined rulemaking and international harmonization expertise with hands-on inspection, investigation, and outreach to strengthen national compliance with the DOT hazmat regulations.

Shannon Serre

Biography : Shannon Serre started with the EPA in 1998 in the National Risk Management Research Laboratory where he studied the control of pollutants from coal-fired utilities. Shannon joined EPA’s National Homeland Security Research Center (NHSRC) in 2007 where he was the assistant program manager for NHSRC’s Technology Testing and Evaluation Program. Shannon is currently with the EPA’s Office of Emergency Management working in the CBRN Consequence Management Advisory Division. He is focused on the response and recovery from a chemical, biological or radiological incident. He has been involved in several field scale projects including: the Bio-response Operational Testing and Evaluation (BOTE) project, Underground Transport Restoration (UTR) project, Operational Testing and Evaluation of Chemical Remediation Technologies (OTECRA) and is now involved with the Analysis for Coastal Operational Recovery (AnCOR) project. The AnCOR project is focused on the restoration of a USCG facility or asset that has been contaminated with a biological agent. Shannon has a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Utah.

Daniel Talbot

Biography : Daniel Talbot served 33 years with Cal Fire in the Riverside Unit and retired as a Deputy Chief in November of 2018. From 1990 to 1996, Chief Talbot served as a Fire Captain/HM Specialist on the Cal Fire/Riverside County Hazardous Materials Response Team. During his tenure with the Team, Chief Talbot responded to more than 600 hazardous materials emergencies. Concurrently with his time on the Hazardous Materials Team, Chief Talbot was a member of the FIRESCOPE Hazardous Materials Specialist Group. During his tenure with the Hazardous Materials Specialist Group, Chief Talbot participated in the development of the position manuals for the Hazardous Materials Module of the Incident Command System. As a Chief Officer, Chief Talbot responded to several significant hazardous materials incidents, serving as the Incident Commander. Currently, Chief Talbot is an Adjunct Instructor at Moreno Valley College's School of Public Safety. Chief Daniel teaches Hazardous Materials Incident Commander, ICS 300, ICS 400, and the CSFM course, Incident Management of High-Rise Fires. In 2023, Chief Talbot participated in a multiagency group to develop the course Wide-Rise Fire Operations for the Riverside County Fire Chiefs' Association

Nick Vent

Biography : Nick Vent retired after 28yrs as a Supervising Environmental Health Specialist with the County of San Diego. He managed the County of San Diego’s Hazardous Incident Response Team (HIRT), which responds to all hazardous chemical releases in a jurisdiction of 4200 square miles with 18 cities. Mr. Vent is a nationally recognized and award winning, state certified hazardous materials response instructor with 40 plus years’ experience training and certifying fire, law enforcement, and environmental professionals who respond to chemical emergencies. He currently is conducting Hazmat classes around the country, US Territories and even Europe. He has taught various environmental health courses at colleges in California and around the country. He holds degrees in Environmental and Occupational Health and Chemistry. But most he loves to traveling the world and meeting people.

Reginald Woodard DeCavalcante

Biography : I’m a second generation firefighter my father retired with the California State Fire Department in Poterville CA DDS Departments within the state organization. I started my journey with the City of Suisun Fire Department as a firefighter and acting higher rank. More so, I joined CDF in Morgan Hill California-Santa Clara Unit. Made the quantum leap with continued service with CAL FIRE-San Bernadino Unit, and continued service with CAL FIRE-Fresno Kings Unit. I continued as firefighter/ Drive Operator with the City of Jeanerette Volunteer Fire. I enjoy community focus in with the community; and have a deep seated desire to save live and serve.