My name is Gary Simon

Over 20 years of experience as a public servant, firefighter, EMT, and water rescue instructor having been deployed to several federal declared disasters. A highly decorated rescue professional who helped co-founder and a past member of the SELA-Task Force-1. The experience gained from being a front line responder in disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, Gustav, Sandy, and many more has provided students with invaluable knowledge.

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Being an experienced leader and member of the SELA-Task Force from boot on the ground to that of Incident Commander and the desire to teach knowledge learned from those incidents is exactly why STARR is successful in training. Individuals such as this is what STARR looks for when bringing on instructors; true life long learners. Always looking for educational and training opportunities to continue gaining knowledge to teach others.

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From the fire service, the Emergency Operations Center, and within federal agencies, the real-world knowledge combined with hundreds of hours of training, the dedication and passion of teaching for more than 35 years has increase the value of being an instructor. An integral part of STARR for many years as an instructor, advisor, and wise individual beyond the years.