Anthony Minarcik
Life Safety, Emergency Management Specialist
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About
To introduce myself, I am Anthony, a born and raised Chicago native. I was born into a two-parent, four-child home. During my formidable years, my parents opened their home to almost a dozen neighborhood kids that needed a safer home environment, despite barely being able to keep a roof over our heads.
At 18 (Likely to free me of the craziness of a crowded home.) I enlisted in the Navy as a Hospital Corpsman, and after active duty, I served as a reservist, most of the time at Great Lakes Hospital or Hines Veterans Hospital. My initial focus was physical therapy school. I pivoted and altered my studies to become a Fire Fighter/Paramedic.
I worked as a line FF/Medic for over 27 years until I tore my shoulder while interior firefighting and was forced into retirement. I am passionate about crisis planning and Emergency Management (EM)/Life Safety planning. Beginning in 2006, I was on a team implementing standardized crisis plans in over 140 schools.
What attracted me to the EM role is the ability to make a significant impact and scale quickly to save lives and make meaningful changes. The high point in my EM career is bringing the Stop The Bleed program to kids in Lawndale, Austin, Garfield Park, and Englewood. And also hardening schools in Highland Park, Schaumburg, Mount Prospect, and others.
It is, unfortunately, needed.
Experience
During my tenure as a firefighter, paramedic (27.5 years), I worked three years in Elmwood Park, and Mount Prospect, Illinois. I was fortunate to have a broad and full career. Other than roles typically expected of a front line FF/Medic I was a member of MABAS Div. 1 as a technical rescue specialist (16 years) responding to challenging Hazardous Material, Infection Disease, and below and high grade rescues.
I have also served as EMT Coordinator, paramedic and Allied Health Educator, paramedic school educator, and taught in-station continuing education classes for the full breadth of my career. I have also severed for most of my career on Northwest Community and Lutheran General Hospitals regions as a committee member. In addition I have over a decade of experience working in hospital (Gottlieb, now Loyola) as both a Corpsman and Pacemaker/EKG analyst (Unique Medical Imaging, TransMed Corporation 10 years).
I have all the skills, attributes, experience to excel in this role. I am an experienced risk, resilience, and crisis management professional passionate about helping organizations identify, evaluate and manage risk capabilities. I have extensive experience developing crisis plans for schools and organizations that prepare and educate staff to assert themselves confidently during emergencies when life safety is at risk.
In addition to working as a pacemaker analyst I have worked on many design build projects for health clinics and facilities.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Firefighter/Paramedic | Mount Prospect & Elmwood Park Fire Departments, IL 1990 - 2018
- Managed Emergency Crisis Plans and played a key role in realizing a Standardized Crisis Planning base in over 145 schools throughout Northwest Suburban Chicagoland, including instruction in the critical aspects of the Incident Command System (ICS)
- Planned and implemented evacuation, relocation and reunification strategies along with the needed preparedness training for active shooter and active threat training readiness capabilities
- Executed operations expertly in the field: on the fireground, disasters and other incidents where the substantial risk to life and property are significant
- Managed purchases, outfitting of essential equipment and implementation of supplies and gear for Mass Casualty Trailers
- Oversaw training of Paramedic candidates from the onset of paramedic training until the successful completion of their State and National certifications and served on numerous committees on both firefighting and paramedic related masteries
- Coordinated multiple agencies fire, police, security, school administrative personnel, and Mothers Against Drunk Driving during the Operation Prom Night program for Illinois School District 214
Paramedic | EMT-B Coordinator | Greater Chicago, IL 1993-2015
- Exercised crisis response planning operations in NW suburban Chicago as a standardized crisis planning team member with the aim at increasing readiness/preparedness, resulted in an efficient organization and improved response capability during active crisis events
- Mentored younger members of the team and developed training methods for varying related disciplines
- Served as Committee member, Northwest Community Hospital Educational and R&D Committees to research and employ evidence-based practices and update policies accordingly
- Functioned as Cardiac Pacemaker & Holter Monitor Analyst with Unique Medical Imaging and Trans-Med Diagnostic Imaging Corporations
- Served as Corpsman in the United States Naval Reserves (Hines Veterans Hospital) 1988 - 1993
Concordia University | Adjunct Instructor & Educator | River Forest, IL 2005 – present
- Taught ECG Analysis, Bleeding Control Methods, CPR and First Aid in the Athletic Training Division
- Customized learning and development of workshops in different training aptitudes for school crisis management
- Instruct staff in CPR, ACLS and Bleeding control Method training in the clinic, providing continuing education to allied health staff
- Provided EMS for Old St. Patrick Church “largest block party” paramedic in the medical tent
- Prepared learning materials for different learning curves and oversaw student development for paramedic and EMT-B training, including infectious control methods and varying clinical skills modalities
- Responsible for the professional development and continuing education of EMT-B/Firefighters
- Trained and managed all skills and capability training for emergency medical service modalities and educational requirements directed by the State of Illinois and Northwest Community Hospital (training center).
- Developed educational training outlines and exercises for all firefighter EMT’s as well as maintaining all Illinois licensure paperwork
- Created and Implemented the design and rollout of MABAS Div. I Trauma Trailers. Executed operations expertly in the field: on the fireground, disasters, and other incidents where the substantial risk to life and property are significant.
Name Date
Fire Apparatus Engineer 01/24/2001
Firefighter III 06/27/2000
Fire Officer I 01/16/2001
Fire Officer II 08/02/2002
Instructor I 01/16/2001
Instructor II 01/16/2001
Hazardous Materials Operations 11/09/1999
Hazardous Materials Technician 06/06/2003
Hazardous Materials Technician A 06/06/2003
(The National Fire Academy)
Rescue Specialist/Confined Space/ 11/02/1998
Trench Awareness 11/09/1999
Rescue Specialist Vertical I 05/10/2000
Rescue Specialist Vertical II 12/01/2000
Rescue Specialist Structural Collapse 04/27/2001
Rescue Specialist Roadway Extrication 11/19/2001
Rescue Specialist Confined Space 12/18/2001
Rescue Specialist Trench 04/26/2002
Structural Collapse Operations 06/03/2002
EMT-B Adjunct Facilitator Instructor 07/14/1995
EMT Paramedic 06/15/1990 Current as of 2023
Education
I am a committed lifetime learner; most recently, I completed my Master's in Threat Response Management from the University of Chicago. During that time, with the encouragement of my Capstone Advisor (A Nuclear Biologist at the Argonne National Lab) and the help of the Georgia Trauma Foundation leader Billy Kunkle. We (myself and fellow capstone co-author, Chicago Police Department Officer B.S.) set the goal of creating a deliverable for crisis planning and preparedness.
In support of the Presidential Preparedness Directive 8 (PPD8), we brought the Stop, the Bleed program to community grassroots organizations. We trained hundreds of allied health professionals and teachers to pass the lessons to students and lay personnel.
I am working toward being an accredited International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) member.
EDUCATION & TRAINING The University of Chicago, Master of Science in Threat and Response Management | Chicago, IL June 2019
- Relevant Coursework: Historical Impact of Emergency Management, Logistical Methods, Crisis Planning, Innovative Strategic Solutions, Espousing Problem-Solving Skills with Tactical Experience
- Capstone Project: “Essential First Aid and Bleeding Control, an Essential Element of Readiness Capability”
Hospital Corpsman U.S. Navy Reserves 1987-1993
