Hazardous Materials

Our Team

Creating confident responders since 2005.

Robert Hughes:
Operations Manager

Robert is a Battalion Chief in Columbia, SC with 25 years in the fire service. Rob has has been teaching municipal and industrial emergency response for nearly 20 years. In 2022, Rob completed his Bachelor of Science in Occupational Health and Safety from Columbia Southern University. Rob's current role with E-med is the Operations Manager over the day-to-day operations including compliance programs and instructor development training.

Rob is E-Med's senior instructor with specialties in Hazmat, fire brigade leadership, OSHA On-scene Incident Commander, along with all the other initial industrial response training programs, covering all of E-Med's training disciplines.

Rob shares that his greatest accomplishment is his family!

J.Travis Carricato; Principal Owner

Travis is the principal owner and one of the main program developers for many of E-Med’s courses. Travis retired as an Operations Division Chief from the Columbia Fire Department with over 25 years of service and is now sharing his passion for teaching and training full-time.

Travis is an accomplished fire service conference speaker and has conducted multiple international train-the-trainer sessions in Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait.

Prentiss McLaurin; Administration Manager

Prentiss has 19 years of emergency response experience with the Columbia Fire Department. He is currently assigned to Engine 12 and Hazmat 2. His extensive experience and specialties include NR-EMT, Hazmat Tech, Confined Space and is also an adjunct instructor teaching Hazmat Operations and CFD's driver/ apparatus operator courses.

Prentiss manages E-Med's instructor credentials and contractor compliance training.

His personal moto~ "Always Strive for Success!"

Doug Vettorel; Logistics Manager

Doug has 20 years of experience in the municipal, military and DOD fire service. He started his career in Pennsylvania reaching the rank of Captain prior to his move to South Carolina. He currently serves as a full time Firefighter/Engineer for Fort Gordon Fire and Emergency Services. He holds an Associates of Fire Science degree, and is a NFPA 1403 credentialed Live Fire instructor as well as a NR-EMT. His extensive experience in medical, technical rescue and hazardous materials response combined with his passion for developing competent responders led him to teach for the E-MED team.

Tony Bedenbaugh;
Emergency Response Program Coordinator

Tony is a retired Battalion Chief with over 35 years of Fire and Emergency Services experience teaching Municipal and Industrial Fire, Technical Rescue, Hazardous Materials and Emergency Medical.

Tony has an Associates Degree and credentials with IFSAC FFI, II, Officer I, Driver/Operator, Instructor I, Former EMT, EMT-I (22 years). Tony has spoken and taught at several SC, NC, GA, Fla and AL Fire/Rescue conferences over his expansive career, with 30 plus years as an instructor.

Tony has been married for 38 years, has 3 children and 2 grandsons.

Ethan Blackmon;
Medical Program Coordinator

Ethan Blackmon started his career in emergency services as an EMT with Kershaw County EMS in 2010 and now is currently a full-time firefighter with Columbia Fire Department and holds the rank of Engineer.
Ethan is also a South Carolina Fire Academy instructor as well as a adjunct instructor for Columbia Fire Department teaching new recruits firefighting, emergency medical responder, and conducts portions of the promotional classes. Ethan is E-Med's resident state certified EMT In-service Training instructor.

JP Watson;
Rest in Peace Brother

JP passed away unexpectedly in 2023 and will be missed by family, students, instructors and friends. He was a retired captain after 36 years of fire service experience; with 25 years as a volunteer at the Columbia Fire Department. He also retired as an Adjunct Instructor from SCFA after 26 years of service. JP worked in the industrial sector assisting with onsite emergency response teams and safety department when needed. He was OSHA 30 certified and a credentialled NFPA 1403 Live Fire Evolution Instructor. During JP's tenure as a volunteer Fire Captain, JP was the only volunteer at CFD to get Blue Card Incident Command national certification. Rest in Peace Brother.

Danny Shealy; Instructor

Danny joins the E-Med team with over 30 years of Nuclear and Industrial fire brigade expertise. He is a credentialed master-instructor through Texas A&M and has taught extensively in the US and Canada. Specialties include Fire Brigade Leadership, OSHA On-scene Incident Commander, NIMS All-Hazard Training / ICS, NFPA 1006/1670 Rescue Technician, OSHA 1910.120 Hazmat, and NFPA 600/1081 Industrial Fire Brigade Emergency Response.

Will Marker; Rescue Program Coordinator

Will has been in the fire service for 16 years, beginning his career in Indiana. He is a Captain with the Columbia Fire Department and holds extensive rescue technician certifications, including; Confined Space Rescue, High-Angle, Trench Rescue, Swiftwater Rescue, Hazmat Technician and patient extrication.

Don Townley; Instructor

Don Townley is a veteran of the US Army Special Operations community and is currently a Captain at the Fort Stewart/Hunter Army Airfield Fire Department in Hinesville, Georgia where he also serves as Program Director for Technical Rescue and Auto Extrication. He began his firefighting career at Columbia FD (SC) and has 20 years of combined municipal and DOD experience in firefighting, heavy rescue, medical response, HAZMAT, and technical rescue programs. Capt. Townley holds a degree in Fire Science and is certified in a wide array of areas including 1403 Live Fire Instructor, Confined Space Rescue Technician, Rope Rescue Technician/Advanced, Structural Collapse Technician, Trench Rescue Technician; HAZMAT Technician and Incident Command; Airport Firefighter, Driver/Operator ARFF, Aerial, and Pumper; Fire Instructor I/II; Fire Officer I/II; and Fire Inspection. For the last 18 years he has translated his passion for the job into hands-on, high-speed training for firefighters/brigades in industry, municipalities, and the Department of Defense. Capt. Townley delivers training with real-world scenarios grounded in fire service standards that supports sustained physical and mental health for first responders.

Andrew Stender; Instructor

Brett Powell; Instructor

Brett has over 16 years of firefighting and emergency response experience. He started off his career in 2006 with Lexington Fire Service and then joined the Columbia Fire Department in 2009 and was assigned to the hazmat division. In 2021, he joined the Charleston Fire Department, where he is currently assigned to the hazmat division as a Firefighter/EMT and Hazmat Specialist. He has spent his entire career in the special operations sector of the fire department. Brett has certifications as a Firefighter II, EMT-B, Rescue Technician, Hazmat Monitor Repair Technician, Industrial Fire Rescue Specialist, and Hazardous Materials/WMD Specialist. He is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Occupational Safety & Health and has his OSHA 30 certification. Brett works as an adjust instructor for the State Fire Academy teaching hazmat curriculum to the Charleston Fire & Charleston Police recruit academies. He is a contract industrial rescue technician, as well as an instructor for the Department of Homeland Security teaching Hazmat and Terrorism response training to first responders and military/DOD personnel. He is also currently assigned to South Carolina Weapons of Mass Destruction team 3 (SCWMD3).

Ethan Tucker

Brad Youngblood; Instructor

Brad started his emergency response career in 2007 with Lexington County Fire Service and has been with the City of Columbia since 2014. He is currently the Driver/Engineer of Rescue 1 and also a volunteer fire fire fighter at Little Mountain Fire Department in Newberry County. Brad is a NR-EMT and holds numerous rescue certifications to include confined space rescue tech, trench tech, high angle rope tech, structural collapse tech, swift water tech, large vehicle extrication, and hazmat technician. When Brad's not working, he enjoys the outdoors (hunting and fishing) and spending time on the lake.