Spike has a wealth of police experience in the United Kingdom. During his first 9 years, he was engaged in general police duties. This included two years of experience working at Heathrow Airport as part of the police security team.

Spike worked for United Airlines and he was quickly made the person-in-charge of domicile in-flight safety and security. Spike rejoined the police in 1995 and served in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea as a community beat officer and crime prevention officer and for implementing a neighbourhood security program that was a partnership between the police, residents and appropriate security companies. This was unique in the UK at the time and received national press coverage. One significant aspect of the program was training of security personnel in appropriate use of powers and legislation. In its first year, crime in the scheme area fell by 78%.

In September 2004, Spike was transferred to the Police’s Overt Counter Terrorism response unit, Operation Rainbow where he involved formulating and implementing the Police Overt Counter Terrorism strategies and tactics to be used by uniform police officers. During this time, he was also qualified as a police trainer. This has allowed him to present and formulate trainings for numerous organizations including those in the UK, foreign blue chip companies, UK and foreign police forces and the UK military. Spike was also responsible in formulating and implementing an extensive CT training program for UK police officers. To date, over 6000 UK police officers have received this training, the majority of it delivered by himself.

In June 2007, Spike was transferred to the Counter Terrorism Section of the Police Counter Terrorism Command working as a qualified Counter Terrorist Security Advisor. This post involves a more detailed training provided by MI5 of the Security Services. Some of his roles include undertaking security surveys at sensitive premises and sites of strategic importance throughout London offering relevant security advice and liaising with commerce and industry as well as being responsible for offering advice to commerce and industry on their contingency plans for major terrorist incidents or civil unrest.

Spike was also trained and qualified as a Police Family Liaison Officer. This role requires him to deal with families of person bereaved in sudden death trauma incidents. In 2001, he was deployed to New York as part of the UK Governments response to the 911 attacks. He was again deployed to Thailand in 2005 as part of the UK response to the Tsunami disaster. He had also served in several deployments within Europe. Spike had also appeared in Austria as a professional expert witness in relation to crime prevention issues at the Vienna Civil Court.

Today, Spike is still involved in the training of police officers as well as for security staff for major UK companies.

Spike is also the Co-Founder and Principal Consultant of ISR(UK) International Risk and Security, a small UK based consultancy and training company specialising in Security Risk Assessment, Security Surveying and Counter Terrorism Security Management. This company has been involved in training and security consultancy in Malaysia, The Middle East, Albania and the United States.

Major Richard Hughbank, U.S. Army (retired) is an assistant professor in the Criminal Justice Department at Northwestern State University teaching graduate homeland security studies and the President of Extreme Terrorism Consulting, LLC. Richard has over 21 years experience in the Military Police Corps, is a combat veteran in the War on Terror and a published author in the fields of security, active shooters, terrorism and homeland security. The content of his lectures are derived from his current book "The Dynamics of Terror and the Creation of Homegrown Terrorists" published by Tate Publishing Company (July 2010). Richard can be contacted through his company website www.understanterror.com, rhughbank@understandterror.com or on his professional blog on Facebook – "Understand Terror."

Major Avi Cohen has been with the Israeli Army and Israel National Police for close to 30 years. He has held numerous positions in elite fighting units in the Israeli Army and Police. After completion of his military service he worked in airport security as a bodyguard and then joined the Israel National Police Force. He began his service with the famous Yamam anti terrorism and hostage rescue unit. There he was initially trained as an operative and then specialize as a tactical bomb technician. After his initial work in the Yamam he moved to several jobs on the police force first as an instructor in the national bomb technician school, commanded bomb units in a resort town of Eilat and also in the Gaza strip area were on a daily basis he had to deal with several hundred explosive devices. He has been involved in the development of the first operations training school in Israel and now his current position is in responsibility for policy, intelligence, operative procedure and training for all officers for all of the security units land passage and border crossings security. Avi is the proud father of four and enjoys yachting, karate and cooking.

Stephen T. Spall is a 25 year veteran of the FDNY. He has been member of Special Operations since 1997 and is the Captain of Squad Company 61 in the Bronx since 2003, specializing in technical rescue. He is currently the lead Structure Specialist with the New York Task Force 1 Team where he has been a member since the team's inception in 1992, and an alternate on the Structures IST since 2005. He has been deployed to numerous incidents in the continental United States including the Oklahoma City Bombing, Katrina and several other hurricanes. In addition to his recent deployment to Haiti, Captain Spall has also been sent as a representative of New York City following hurricanes in both Puerto Rico and the Island of St. Thomas. He is an instructor at the FDNY's Technical Rescue School, and holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University at Buffalo.

BART classes are taught by volunteer veterinary professionals, including veterinarians, veterinary technicians and students in these programs. BART has recruited and trained over 100 volunteers to assist with the training; 6-8 volunteers are needed to teach each class. To become a volunteer, contact us at info@BasicAnimalRescueTraining.org or call 612-282-2608.

Al Benney began his EMS career as an EMT for Stillwater Ambulance while attending paramedic school at Mankato State University. Since 1980 he has worked full time as a Paramedic in ALS and Critical Care Ambulances, and fixed and rotor wing aircraft. A large percentage of his responsibility for the past 10 years as been new employee orientation and ongoing competency testing. His teaching experience ranges from CPR and First Responder through ACLS EP and PALS. Over the past 4 years Al has worked with high-fidelity simulation in the pre-hospital, clinic, and hospital settings.

Judy Bifulk is the Mass Dispensing Coordinator at the Minnesota Department of Health Office of Emergency Preparedness.  She coordinates overall state and local mass prophylaxis preparedness with the Strategic National Stockpile Program.  Judy is a registered nurse, certified Public Health Nurse and has worked in hospital, school and community health nursing.  Prior to her current position, she coordinated a local public health immunization program. She has also served four years with the US Army Reserve, is a certified Emergency Manager in the state of Minnesota and is a member of the Minnesota All-Hazards Incident Management Team.

Miss Brudenell has been employed as a Minneapolis Police Officer for 16 years. Since 2004 tracked and documented Somali Gangs. She worked closely with agencies around the country regarding crime within this population and participated in and co-led the East African Area Studies Group monthly meetings with other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies regarding Somali crime trends. Miss Jeanine Budenell has extensively researched this population, met with local Somali's, and worked at Somali events on a continuing basis. In 2008, the department created a Somali Community Liaison position in response to an increase in gang crime and murders, and she worked exclusively with the Somali community throughout the City of Minneapolis. She also briefs other law enforcement and government agencies throughout the country on Somali culture and crime trends.

Bill Chandler is the Director of the Homeland Security Branch within the Minnesota Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety and is licensed through the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

Bill holds a B.S. degree from the University of St. Thomas. He is a 30 year veteran of the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office serving in the jail division, court division, patrol division and enforcement services with his last 13 years in a senior command role. He has had a wide variety of experience, including water patrol, underwater recovery team, uniform patrol, dignitary protection and special operations. He is a graduate of the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command, the United States Secret Service Dignitary Protection School and the FBI Executive Leadership Development Course. He is also a certified Minnesota and FEMA Emergency manager.

Bill has also served part time with the Roseville Fire Department since 1980. He has held the ranks of firefighter, fire inspector, lieutenant, captain and is currently deputy fire chief.

Mike Dobesh is in his 20th year of public service, currently serving as the Assistant Chief of Safety and Training for the St. Louis Park Fire Department. He earned his Bachelor's degree in Athletic Training at Gustavus Adolphus College and a Master's degree in Public Administration at Hamline University. He is an adjunct instructor for the Public Safety Certificate Program through Hamline University. Mike is passionate about expanding leadership and enhancing training in the Fire Service.

Jill Eulberg is a former special education teacher who has taught elementary and secondary students in Chicago Public Schools and South Washington County. Jill holds a bachelors degree in sociology from the University of Minnesota and a masters in special education from Roosevelt University in Chicago. Jill also has several years of professional writing experience as a freelance writer for the Daily Herald and Chicago Tribune.

Gary A. Fried is the Director of the Minnesota Department of Transportation's Emergency Management Section. Gary's emergency management experience spans 25 years including 23 years as the director of the Goodhue County Office of Emergency Management. He has served on several state level advisory groups including the Governors Ad Hoc Committee on Enhanced 911. He holds state, federal, and international Emergency Management Certifications. Gary has been nationally recognized on two occasions for his expertise in developing and managing an Emergency Operations Center, and has received several awards for his assistance to Minnesota counties during disaster situations.

David Jones has worked since 1987 in the areas of infectious and chronic disease epidemiology, exposure and health risk assessment, indoor air, and environmental health for both the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the University of Colorado, and the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment. Mr. Jones has a Masters of Science degree in Environmental Health from the University of Minnesota's School of Public Health. He currently works in the Health Risk Assessment Section, Environmental Health Division at MDH where he is involved in preparedness activities related to environmental health aspects of emergencies and disasters.

Sergeant Wally Krueger has been with the Minneapolis Police Department for 22 years and the last 16 years with the bomb squad.  He has worked in uniform patrol, street crimes, SWAT, the bomb squad and the arson unit.

As a member of the SWAT team he has participated in over 300 high risk entries and currently serves as the supervisor of the bomb squad and assists the SWAT team with explosive breaching entries, robot applications and training SWAT team members in dealing with booby traps, clandestine lab entries, suicide bombers and suspected vehicle bombs.

Nancy Lageson retired from the Brooklyn Park Police Department after serving 14 years as a law enforcement officer. For five of those years, Nancy worked as School Resource Officer in three Minnesota school districts. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Nancy holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communication and previously worked in marketing/advertising/graphic design before going into law enforcement. Currently, Nancy is completing her master's degree in Educational Leadership at St. Mary's University.

Steve Lieberman has been in the telecommunications business for over 13 years, working with both commercial cellular and two-way radio communications. Steve is a former Fire Captain/EMT and a two-term elected official serving as both Mayor and Councilmember for the City of Grover Beach California. While sitting on the city council, he served on the League of California Cities Public Safety Policy Committee and was instrumental in the consolidation of fire services for the communities of Arroyo Grande, Grover Beach and Oceano in San Luis Obispo County.

Steve is responsible for business development in the Western and Midwestern states for the Emergency Response Team and also serves as a member of Sprint Nextel's corporate Incident Management Team.

Judy Marchetti, RN, PHN, MS, has worked in public health emergency preparedness for four years and is currently the Healthcare System Preparedness Program Supervisor at the Minnesota Department of Health Office of Emergency Preparedness. She supervises programs and staff in areas of healthcare preparedness and medical surge. Prior to working for MDH, Judy's experience included medical, surgical and critical care nursing in a hospital setting, occupational and industrial hygiene program supervision , and local public health preparedness. Ms. Marchetti also retired as a nurse and squadron commander in the United States Air Force Reserve. She has a B.S. in nursing from the College of St. Benedict and an M.S. in Industrial Hygiene from the University of Minnesota

Ken Prillaman is the Fire Chief and Emergency Management Director for the City of Brooklyn Park, MN. Chief Prillaman has significant executive leadership experience in the private sector and has brought an "outside the box" orientation to the Minnesota fire service. Chief Prillaman leads the Hennepin County Fire Chief's initiative on Box Alarms and is a Board Member of the Metro Chief Officers Association.

Joe Ruffini is an internationally-recognized counter-terror, school safety, private enterprise, and government security consultant, trainer and presenter. He offers his expertise on CNN news as counter terror expert. A retired Army Lieutenant Colonel and board Certified Master Anti-Terrorism Specialist, Joe has been a featured presenter for a diverse range of government and private sector clients, from the CIA's National Counterintelligence Center to Fortune 500 companies such as US Steel and General Electric. His book, When Terror Comes to Main Street: A Citizens Guide to Terror Awareness, Preparedness and Prevention, was initially published in May 2006 and published a second time in 2008 by the Special Operations Association.

Wade Setter is the Deputy Director in the Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) division of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. He oversees the daily operations for HSEM. He is the former director of the Minnesota School Safety Center and has experience with all hazards, school-based emergency management.

Wade is a 28-year veteran of the Brooklyn Park Police Department serving his last 12 years in the capacity of Chief of Police. Setter holds an A.A.S. Degree and B.S. Degree in Law Enforcement and has a wide variety of law enforcement experiences. He is a graduate of the 185th Session of the FBI National Academy and the 39th Session of the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Executive Seminar. Wade is a Certified Emergency Manager in the State of Minnesota.

Doug Thies is a District Safety Administrator with the Minnesota Department of Transportation Metro District where he is responsible for safety & health issues relating to highway construction and maintenance. At major highway incidents, he operates as a member of the command staff. Thies has 23 years experience in the safety / risk management field working for a number of fortune 500 companies. In addition to his duties with Mn/DOT, he has run a parallel career in the fire service serving as a firefighter / EMT with the Eden Prairie Fire Department for 19 years and with Red Rock Fire Department for the past 3 years. He is state and federally certified as an emergency management director. Thies is a faculty instructor with Minnesota State Colleges & Universities where he teaches fire, rescue, & EMS courses. Thies has served on a number of boards and commissions, is President of the Fire Instructors Association of Minnesota, board member of the Minnesota Fire Service Certification Board, past member and Vice-Chairman of the MN Emergency Response Commission, a position appointed to by the Governor. When not working, teaching or responding to some type of emergency, he enjoys spending time with his wife and their three children.

Dan Tranter is a Research Scientist with the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Indoor Air Unit. He has a Masters of Public Health degree from the University of Minnesota. Mr. Tranter has been with MDH since 2001 where he has assisted owners of flooded buildings, advises the general public about mold, evaluates air quality in schools, and enforces the Minnesota Enclosed Sports Arena Rule. For more information about MDH's air quality program, visit www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/air/index.htm

Kevin Vito is an instructor with Hennepin Technical College specializing in OSHA Compliance/ Industrial Safety Trianing and Consulting. He is an OSHA Outreach Trainer with the U.S. Department of Labor. Kevin is a retired career Fire Fieghter/ Haz Mat Technician, and served in U.S. Navy as damage controlman aboard a navy fuel tanker.

Investigator Shawn Wilson is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, with degrees in Biology and Human Physiology. He has been employed as a Death Investigator with the Hennepin County Medical Examiner`s Office since 1999, becoming board Certified with American Board of Medicolegal Death investigators in 2005. Inv. Wilson also serves several other counties through the Minnesota regional and midwest Medical Examiners Office's. His areas of specialty include mass disaster response, fatality management operations and missing/unidentified persons. He participated in the I-35 Bridge Collapse response and is a member of the federal Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team (DMORT Region V), with extended deployments to the Gulf Coast during Hurricane's Katrina and Rita, and most recently the Haiti earthquake. He has been assigned to Morgue Operations, Search and Recovery, Cemetery Recovery and the Victim Identification Center.

Wilson served as co-chair of the National Mass Fatality Working Group during development of the National Response Framework. He led efforts to develop and acquire a portable morgue unit for the state of Minnesota. Shawn is member of the MN Disaster Mortuary Emergency Response Team (DMERT) and consultant and logistics advisor to the Minnesota Dept of Health Mortuary Sciences Division. He was recently recruited by Blake Emergency Services to join their North and South American Incident Response Team.