2023 ESO Fire Service Index: What It Is and How to Use It

Chief Gardner has more than 35 years of Fire and EMS experience. Most recently, he was the Chief of the Leander Fire Department, retiring in February 2019 after holding that role since 2010. He was instrumental in helping the fire department grow and scale in one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States. Chief Gardner has worked in various sized agencies from all-volunteer to metro-size departments and has numerous recognitions for his service at the local, state and national levels.

He holds Master Fire Firefighter Certification, Investigators Certification, Instructor Certifications, CFO and CFE and served as the President of the Texas State Firefighters and Fire Marshals’ Association. Gardner currently serves as a Senior Advisor for Leander Fire Department, an instructor and Advisory Board Member to TEEX Annual School Programs and an instructor in Chief Development Program, presenting at numerous state and national conferences. He also holds several degrees and certifications in fire administration, fire technology, EMS and emergency management from a variety of organizations, including Texas Tech University, the Center for Public Safety Excellence and the National Fire Academy.

 

Gardner holds several degrees and certifications in fire administration, fire technology, EMS, and emergency management from a variety of organizations, including Texas Tech University, the Center for Public Safety Excellence and the National Fire Academy.

Antonio R. Fernandez, PhD, NRP, FAHA is a research scientist at ESO. He has been a nationally certified paramedic for over 15 years. In 2010, Dr. Fernandez completed the NREMT EMS Research Fellowship and earned his doctorate in Epidemiology at The Ohio State University. Before he came to ESO, Dr. Fernandez worked on state repository EMS research as Research Director for the EMS Performance Improvement Center at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Richard Miller has over 43 years of experience in the fire service industry as a career and volunteer firefighter and now as a Fire Service Program Manager for the Firefighter Safety Research Center at the IAFC. He has held the positions from Firefighter to Training Officer for the City of Fairfax Fire Department in Virginia. His goal is to provide knowledgeable factual information to the fire service industry to meet a diverse community by established leadership, that meets the needs of the leading Fire Chiefs.