Eric Cisney

I spent over 20 years in the fire service, the last 8 as a CAL Fire Fire Captain in Riverside County, before a vehicle accident while responding to a fire ended my career. Incident command isn't a domain I studied – I ran it, as initial Incident Commander on large-scale incidents, Haz Mat Group Supervisor, and an adjunct instructor who taught the core ICS/Haz Mat fire science course at College of the Desert. I worked in our Emergency Command Center fielding 9-1-1 calls and dispatching units, and I helped build the database our Haz Mat team used for case reporting.

Since my retirement I've become a builder: at a startup solar company I was promoted to COO, where I personally designed, built and deployed our custom CRM with an integrated learning management system, built the sales playbooks and training program, onboarded and trained over 100 reps, and managed the platform rollout end to end. I've been the first boots on the ground before – doing the heavy lifting myself while building the processes that scale.

Life and Health Insurance Producer at AMBA and Independent (2024-10 – Present)

• Cold and warm lead prospecting; develop rapport with clients, determine needs and provide custom solutions to meet budget constraints
• Built my own Django-based database tools for customer analysis and tracking

President and License Holder at SJ Construction and Design, LLC (2016-12 – Present)

• Oversee construction management of projects, read and develop plan drawings, review plans to produce accurate bids
• Not actively pursuing projects

Chief Operations Officer at Lazarus Energy (2023-01 – 2024-10)

First operations hire at a startup: did the heavy lifting myself while building the processes – sales workflows, pricing strategies, follow-up procedures and rep incentives – that scaled to over 100 reps nationwide

• Personally designed, built and deployed our custom CRM platform (Python/Django) with an integrated learning management system, analytics dashboards, role-based permissions and recurring payment processing; managed the company's transition onto the platform
• Built the playbooks and training materials, then onboarded and trained reps from zero industry knowledge through their first closed deals
• Acted as the link between users and development: collected rep feedback, prioritized features and shipped improvements to my own product
• Built and deployed AI agents that autonomously call customers, handle objections and set appointments through the CRM
• CEO closed operations in late 2024 for personal reasons

Regional Sales Manager at Windows USA (2022-07 – 2023-04)

• One-call, in-home close of replacement windows: 60%+ close rate with a near non-existent cancellation rate

CNC Machinist, Product Designer and Sales at Head Hoggers, LLC (2018-06 – 2022-06)

• Designed motorcycle performance products in Fusion 360, managed manufacturing operations and sold directly to vendors and customers

Fire Captain at CAL Fire / Riverside County Fire Department (2008-05 – 2016-08)

Medical retirement due to shoulder injury

• Initial Incident Commander for large-scale incidents and Division/Group Supervisor during expanded operations; ran incident command on 7 to 9 responses per day at a busy station
• Haz Mat Response Team Captain (full-time 2008 to 2010, overtime through 2016): functioned as Haz Mat Group Supervisor within unified command alongside law enforcement and city/county government staff who don't use ICS daily
• Helped develop an Access database to improve Haz Mat team responses and case reporting for compliance with State and Federal law – building records management tooling for my own team's real workflow
• Worked in our Emergency Command Center at headquarters fielding 9-1-1 calls and dispatching units; know the full workflow from 9-1-1 call to final incident disposition; served as a Command Point mobile CAD trainer for Battalion 35
• Battalion Staffing Coordinator from 2003 to 2016 for a 7 fire station, 9 apparatus module; Battalion 7 GIS Coordinator 2005 to 2007
• Fire and Medical Standby lead coordinator for the PGA Tour's Bob Hope Classic/Humana Challenge, 2010 to 2015: built the ICS structure, staffing plans and documentation across 3 to 4 golf courses, coordinating with AMR, the Sheriff's Department, Secret Service, FBI, ATF and city officials
• Formulated annual fire station budgets, worked through county purchasing, and navigated department, city and county hierarchies daily
• Worked as Firefighter and Fire Apparatus Engineer from 1994 to 2008

Adjunct Fire Instructor at College of the Desert (2008-01 – 2014-08)

Moved out-of-state

• Taught the semester-long core Hazardous Materials/ICS fire science course and Haz Mat First Responder Operations to students and working firefighters
• Developed syllabi and training materials from course objectives, delivered 3-hour lecture blocks, and counseled students entering the fire service

Master of Administration in Project Management – Northern Arizona University

Post Graduate Program in AI and Machine Learning – Purdue University (2025-08)

Bachelor's of Applied Science in Public Agency Service (Public Administration) – Northern Arizona University