Eric J. Rickenbach (thus the “EJR”) is a 38+ year veteran of the public safety emergency services. He is originally from Ontelaunee Township and graduated from the Schuylkill Valley High School in 1982. He currently resides in the village of Rehrersburg in rural northwestern Berks County, Pennsylvania.
Eric started in the emergency services in the early 1980’s and over time began to assist other instructors with vehicle rescue training programs. He was formally recognized as an instructor for vehicle rescue through the PA Department of Health in 1997 and the PA State Fire Academy in 2000. He has been affiliated with the PAgricultural Rescue Training Program since 2003. Eric also teaches several other fire/rescue courses. He is primary/voting member on both the NFPA Technical Committee on Rescue Tools (NFPA 1936 & 1937), and the NFPA Technical Committee on Technical Search and Rescue (NFPA 1670/2500). He is a member of the PA State Fire Commissioner’s Fire Service Certification Advisory Committee.
Eric conducts hundreds of hours of rescue training each year and he has had the opportunity to lecture and teach on vehicle and farm/ag equipment rescue in both national and international venues. In addition to teaching, Eric is active in several related capacities, serving on various vehicle rescue and farm safety and occupational health committees at both the local and state levels. Eric is considered a subject matter expert for several programs.
To reinforce the teamwork concepts needed to perform the rescue function, Eric has assembled a ‘team of instructors’ for his vehicle and farm rescue programs, that includes people with extensive backgrounds in various facets of specialized vehicle and machinery rescue. This includes experienced extrication instructors with backgrounds in production agriculture, the towing/recovery industry, and the emergency medical services to provide a well-balanced presentation focused on teaching ‘street-wise skills’.
Full resume/CV available in PDF: EJR Resume 12/2020