Instructors

Chris Weber, PhD
Chris owns and operates the training and consulting company Dr. Hazmat, Inc. He instructs hazardous materials topics internationally, has developed numerous hazardous materials, counter-terrorism and incident command courses. He is the author of the "Pocket Reference for Hazardous Materials Response" published by Brady/Prentice-Hall. Chris' past experience includes serving as a hazmat technician and Deputy Director of the Washtenaw County (Michigan) Hazardous Materials Response Team for many years. He has been a firefighter for over 20 years and is an adjunct instructor with the Michigan State Police Emergency Management and Homeland Security Training Center. He has extensive experience involving hazardous materials chemistry including a Ph.D. in Biological Chemistry from the University of Michigan, and 15 years research experience in the biomedical sciences.

Ph.D. Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan
B.A. Chemistry & Biology, University of Virginia

John A. Meyers
John has over 35 years experience analyzing Controlled Substances for the Drug Enforcement Administration. He has experience with GC/MS, FTIR, RAMAN, NMR, GC, HPLC and UV. He provides training to other Forensic Chemists in drug analysis and Law Enforcement personnel on field tests and clandestine laboratories. He is the coauthor of five papers on drug analysis and coauthor a chapter on NMR analysis in “Hallucinogens – A Forensic Drug Handbook”. He has extensive experience in Clandestine Laboratories having participates in over 70 laboratory seizures and analyzing over 1000 clandestine laboratory samples. He provided training to Forensic Chemists and Law Enforcement personnel in recognition of clandestine laboratories and analysis of clandestine samples. In addition to analysis duties, he was responsible for the selection, installation and maintenance of new instruments in the laboratory. He participated in the design and construction of the DEA laboratory in Chicago. Since retiring from DEA, John has helped train First Responders on new equipment including FTIR (HazmatID), RAMAN (Responder RCI), and IR Microscopy (IlluminatIR). John has also provided training to the National Guard Civil Support Teams on Clandestine Laboratories. He works with several companies providing comments on new instruments and laboratory design.

B.S. Chemistry, American University

Dennis Fivecoat, MAJ, SP, PA-C, Physician Assistant
Dennis Fivecoat enlisted in the US Army in 1990 as an infantry paratrooper. He has served as an Army medic and is currently a Physician Assistant. His past assignments include two tours of duty in the 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, NC. and a tour of duty in the 2nd Infantry Division along the DMZ between North and South Korea. Dennis participated in Operations Desert Shield/Storm, Operation Andrew Relief (Florida Hurricane), and Pope AFB plane crash incident. Most recently, Dennis was on scene at the ricin incident in Las Vegas, NV supporting numerous local and federal agencies. He currently serves on active duty as a Major in the Nevada Army National Guard (AGR) on the 92nd Civil Support Team (CST). Dennis Fivecoat is also an IFSAC certified Hazardous Materials Technician who has participated in stimulant and live agent training with numerous chemical, biological, and radiological hazards.

M.A. Physician Assistant Studies, University of Nebraska Medical Center
B.S. Physician Assistant Studies, University of Texas

Robert Cook, CHMM

Robert is the principal officer of Hazard Management, Inc, a Michigan corporation providing safety and compliance training, response, characterization, and remediation services to both public and private institutions. Hazard Management provides training on OSHA, EPA, and DOT requirements. Robert is an alumnus of Michigan State University, with graduate studies at Central Michigan University, and is a Senior Level Certified Hazardous Materials Manager and an EPA certified CAMEO instructor. He has also been a program coordinator and lead instructor with the Michigan Emergency Management and Homeland Security Training Center for over fourteen years.