ARK Technical Rescue Training Services, Inc. has been in business since 1990 delivering training for public safety agencies, industrial response teams, and various military rescue teams. ARK training staff members have experience in the development and/or delivery of rescue training programs for; the FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Response System, the U.S. State Departments' Office for Foreign Disaster Assistance, the National Fire Protection Association, and the National Fire Academy.

The ARK staff has over 25 years of public safety training experience and 17 years experience developing and delivering safety and rescue training for industrial responders. Our training staff members are active or retired participants of the FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Response System.

Our organization specializes in the delivery of technical rescue techniques including rope rescue, confined space entry and rescue, trench rescue, engulfment rescue, vehicle extrication, and structural collapse rescue.

Our structural collapse course delivery opportunities include NFPA Operations and Technician level rescue skills, technical search management and applications, officer development, and incident command training with a focus on structural collapse and disaster events.

Our training staff has real world experience in search and rescue operations including response to the following disasters:

 1) Armenian earthquake, 1998
 2) The Philippines earthquake, 1990
 3) Topsail Island, NC, Hurricane Fran
 4) Oklahoma City, terrorist bombing
 5) Nairobi, Kenya, terrorist bombing
 6) Ismit, Turkey earthquake
 7) Taiwan earthquake
 8) Turkey (2) earthquake
 9) The Pentagon 911 terrorist incident
 10) La Plate, Maryland, tornado

In addition, our training staff members have been involved in over 20 trench collapse rescue incidents.


The ARK training staff senior instructors are:

Robert Rhea

Battalion Chief (BC) Robert Rhea is a 28-year veteran of the Fairfax County (Va.) Fire and Rescue Department. He is currently a Battalion Commander assigned to the Operations Division. BC Rhea served for 16 years with the departments Technical Rescue Team and Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Team, including serving as the USAR Program Manager. Robert served three years in the Training Division as the Director of Fire and Rescue Training Programs. Chief Rhea also served as the Senior Technical Officer in charge of the departments' Technical Rescue Operations Team where he was instrumental in designing, implementing, and evaluating confined-space, structural collapse, and trench safety and rescue training programs. Chief Rhea is a principal committee member on the NFPA committees- (1670), Technical Rescue Operation's and (1006), Professional Qualifications for Rescue Technicians. Chief Rhea served as a content expert for the National Fire Academy development project to revise the Rescue Systems I training program, and is an adjunct instructor for the National Fire Academy. Robert has real world response experience to building collapses both domestically and internationally. Robert has a BS in Business Management and has completed Masters Degree studies with a focus in training and human resource development.

Joe Kaleda

Captain II Joe Kaleda is a 26-year veteran of the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department. Captain Kaleda has spent the vast majority of his fire service career assigned to a heavy rescue company and is currently a Station Commander assigned to one of the departments Technical Rescue stations. As the lead instructor for confined space and rope rescue training for the departments' Technical Rescue Operations Team, Captain Kaleda is an experienced educator in technical rescue operations. As a member of the departments FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Task Force, and the Office for Foreign Disaster Assistance Response Team, Joe has served as a communications liaison during the Armenian earthquake in 1988 and The Philippines earthquake in 1990. Joe served as a Rescue Squad Officer during the Hurricane Fran response, the 1998 US Embassy bombing rescue mission in Kenya and the 1999 Turkey and Taiwan earthquake rescue missions. Joe has significant national and international disaster response experience.