CTEX 2023 Onsite Program

Instructor Biographies

Joe Pawlikowski Sergeant Joe Pawlikowski has been with the Orange County Sheriffs Dept for 15 years. Prior to serving with the department, he served 4 years in the United States Marine Corps from 1999 2003 and deployed as part of the Global War on Terrorism. As an Orange County Sheriff ’ s Deputy, Joe has served as a member of the Orange County SWAT team for the last eleven years and was a team Sniper for seven of those years and Assistant Team Leader for three years. Sergeant Pawlikowski was assigned to patrol for four years and investigations for three years. Joe is currently an Active Shooter Instructor and has been teaching on the subject for the last 10 years. He is a Close Quarters Battle (CQB) Instructor and a member of the Orange County Joint As sessment Team (JHAT). Joe was detailed on special assignment as an officer to the United States Marshall ’ s Fugitive Task Force for two years. Sergeant Pawlikowski holds a bachelor ’ s degree in Criminal Justice from California Coast College. He has received numerous accommodations including a Medal for Life Saving and Medal for Courage in 2015. Gil Pedroza Gil Pedroza is a Fire Captain with the Glendale (CA) Fire Depart ment, where he has served the last 18 years of his 25 years in the fire service. Captain Pedroza is also a paramedic and a haz mat specialist, and currently serves as Glendale ’ s Training Cap tain. He is a California State certified instructor and teaches vari ous topics including Fire Control, Rapid Intervention, Firefighter Survival. Captain Pedroza teaches for the International Society of Fire Service Instructors (ISFSI), where he teaches the Live Fire Instructor credentialing program, Understanding and Fighting Basement Fires (H.O.T.) course, and NFPA 1700 throughout the country. Captain Pedroza is currently on the curriculum develop ment board for ISFSI ’ s grant funded water mapping course. Dan Perkins Dan Perkins has been in the California Fire Services for the past 37 years. He is currently the Fire Chief for the City of Kingsburg, Ca. and is a retired Battalion Chief for the City of Fresno, Ca. Dan has instructed numerous topics within the fire services ranging from: Leadership, Chief Officer Courses, Company Officer, Inci dent Command, Strategies and Tactics, Building Construction, Hazardous Materials Response Mitigation and Command. Dan has also served as a Captain Training Officer for the Fresno Fire Department as well as a Paramedic Field Training Officer for Fresno County. Darcy Pierson Darcy is the Director of Diversity & Inclusion at Oshkosh Corpo ration, a leading manufacturer of specialty vehicles and vehicle bodies, since 2018. In this role, Darcy provides leadership guid ance to ensure diversity, equity, and inclusion are integrated into all business practices and Oshkosh Corporation ’ s People First Culture. Prior to joining Oshkosh, Darcy spent 27 years in the Financial Services industry in a full range of business areas, including Sales, Talent Management, Organizational Develop

a 25 - year career in Emergency Management to raise their one year - old daughter Savanah.

Jeff Meston Jeff Meston is a third - generation firefighter who is the current Executive Director of the California Fire Chiefs Association (CFCA) and a past President of the CFCA. He is a 44 year plus veteran of the fire service working for a County, City, Special District, Private Fire Department, Tribal Fire Department, and the State of California Fire Agencies. He holds a master ’ s degree in Public Administration, is a California Certified Fire Chief #16 & National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officer. He has served as President of the Marin County Fire Chiefs Associations and Lake Tahoe Regional Fire Chiefs Associations. Meston has served as a course developer and instructor at the National Fire Academies residency programs and the California Fire Service Training and Education System specializing in strategic planning, group dy namics and problem solving. Meston recently served as the Acting City Manager for South Lake Tahoe as well as its Fire Chief. Meston also served on the Board of Directors for FIRESCOPE, representing City ’ s North, has served as the Execu tive Director for the California State Firefighters Association. He currently is assigned as a Deputy Chief working for CalOES Fire/ Rescue as a liaison between the Emergency Medical Service Au thority and CalOES Fire/Rescue during the COVID19 pandemic, was tasked with updating the 2004 Governor ’ s Blue Ribbon Commission on Wildfire, Lead the Advanced Evacuation Plan ning Unit for the Caldor Fire as well as writing legislative rules for Fire/Rescue legislation. Meston also serves on the University of California San Diego WIFIRE Convergence Advisory Board of Directors, The First Responders Health Foundation Board of Di rectors and as an executive coach for new fire chiefs with MRG consulting. Scott O ’ Mara Mr. O ’ Mara has engaged in successful litigation that has created new benefit expansion for safety officers in the area of the can cer presumption (Faust case), hernia presumption (Stanley case), and has protected the industrial leave Labor Code §4800.5 benefits (Escobar case). This has generated a substan tial enhancement of benefits for all safety officers within the State of California. Mr. O ’ Mara is steadfast and dedicated to the expansion and protection of the rights of all injured Califor nia workers. He began the practice of law in 1977 and initially worked in defending cases until 1982 at which time he com menced the exclusive representation of California injured work ers. Mr. O ’ Mara is a graduate of the University of San Diego (1970), the California Military Academy (1972), a commissioned Officer in the United States Army (1972) and a graduate of Ca brillo Pacific School of Law in 1977. He has served as an adjunct law professor at Thomas Jefferson School of Law, Assistant Pro fessor at San Diego City College, and is the past President of the San Diego County Bar Workers ’ Compensation Section. He has been appointed as a Pro - Tempore Workers ’ Compensation Judge of the Workers ’ Compensation Appeals Board.

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