2020 Keynote Speaker: 

TOBY BEVELACQUA

Armando S. “Toby” Bevelacqua is a 37 plus year veteran of the fire service and the recipient of the 2010 “In the Zone Award” and the “Level A Award” for leadership, service and support in education of the hazardous materials first response community and the recipient of the 2017 Deter Heinz, HazMat Instructor of the Year Award. Recently retired from City of Orlando Fire Department, Orlando Florida where he served as Chief of Special Operations, Homeland Security and Medical Command. Armando also teaches at local colleges, instructing Fire and EMS Classes. He writes free-lance, publishing articles and educational textbooks. He is published with topics on report writing for EMS providers, Emergency Medical Response to Hazardous Materials Incidents, Hazardous Materials Field Guide and Terrorism Handbook for Operational Responders and a Chemistry book geared for the first responder. He has presented nationally on several controversial issues in the disciples of Technical Rescue, EMS, Hazardous Materials and Management.

Armando lectures to fire departments throughout North America, Canada and Europe. He is an adjunct instructor for the National Fire Academy, additionally a WMD/HazMat instructor for the Federal Bureau of Investigations along with an international initiative involving WMD counter proliferation in former Soviet Union States through the Department of Defense as well as with several federal agencies involved with forced protection. Chief Bevelacqua serves on several federal, state and local committees. He holds membership to the Inter-Agency Board (IAB) for Training and Exercise development - IAB discussing issues affecting USAR and HazMat deployment, and training as it relates to terrorism and which have developed the national “Selected Equipment List” (SEL) for first responders. Toby is a technical consultant and member to the NFPA 472, 473, and 475 technical committees along with representation on the ASTM standards development committee for emergency response.

Chief Bevelacqua has assisted in the development of standards and protocols such as with Rocky Mountain Poison Control for the development of standardized Medical Protocol for the WMD event and for the State Department for WMD training of embassy delegates. His latest endeavor is to create educational videos for the first response community. Educating new and seasoned responders to the ever-advancing technologies that are entering the first response arena.