Rod has been in the emergency response business since 1982. He started as a volunteer firefighter with the City of Leduc, Alberta, Fire Department, while advancing his career as a Nuclear Medicine Technologist in Edmonton, ultimately reaching the position of Chief Technologist at the Charles Camsell Hospital.

In Leduc he also was involved as an Auxiliary RCMP officer. In this capacity, he responded to the 1987 Edmonton tornado. In 1995, Rod was selected as the full-time Fire Chief for Leduc. He served in this position until 1998 when he became the Fire Chief for Cochrane, Alberta, remaining in this position until retiring in 2001.

Along with his duties as Cochrane Fire Chief, Rod was a Regional Director for Alberta Fire Chiefs Association and chaired their Alberta Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition Subcommittee.

Since then, his career has included involvement with many organizations and their fire safety and emergency operations.

As the Alberta Director for Jim Stanton and Associates since 2001, he developed and presented training and seminars in emergency public information, crisis communications and media relations for such organizations as the city of Calgary, First Nation communities, Alberta Justice, Health Canada, and Emergency Management Alberta.

In 2002, he was contracted by ASRD as a Wildland Urban Interface Coordinator for major wildland fires and member of the Incident Command team for the G8 Summit in Kananaskis, AB.

Most recently, Rod was the Fire Safety Coordinator for the Calgary Health Region where he oversaw fire safety for over 100 acute and non-acute care facilities plus 30,000 health care employees.

E-mail Rod at rodstafford@shaw.ca.

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