Fire Engineering/ISFSI George D. Post Instructor of the Year Award Recipient: Robert J. Colameta Jr.

Click to EnlargeRobert J. Colameta Jr. is a firefighter with the Everett (MA) Fire Department. He has more than 22 years of experience in adult education. He worked for the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services for 10 years, serving as assistant coordinator of curriculum development, assistant coordinator for the Office of Certification, and coordinator of staff services-instructor training.

In 2003, he developed his own unique online training network called The Public Safety Education Network (www.publicsafetyedu.com). His company provides municipal fire departments with custom training opportunities to meet their specific needs at affordable prices.

In 2005, he was contracted by the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation to develop a curriculum around the Courage to Be Safe® training program. In 2006, he became the national program manager of the Courage to Be Safe® program and has developed the Courage to Be Safe® Online Trainers Resource Network to interact, exchange stories, and access a library of media add-on materials to enhance the teaching experience. In addition, he has developed and deployed more than 36 online learning media segments based on the 16 Life Safety Initiatives. He continues to deliver training to departments across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as well as fire departments across the country.

The award, which incorporates the Training Achievement Award previously given by Fire Engineering at the FDIC, is named for George D. Post, who was a long-time member of the International Society of Fire Service Instructors (ISFSI). Post was a member of the Fire Department of New York, an illustrator of fire service publications, and a developer of instructional materials and is considered by many to be the father of visual training material used to train fire service personnel around the world.

Award Presentation: General Session, Thursday, April 22, 8:30 a.m.-10:00 a.m., Indiana Convention Center Sagamore Ballroom

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