Operations Chief
Robert Avsec, Battalion Chief/Paramedic (Ret.)
After an incredible 26-year first career with the dedicated women and men of the Chesterfield (Va.) Fire and EMS Department (CFEMS), Chief Avsec transitioned into his “second career” with a clear purpose: to pay it forward. Retiring as a battalion chief/paramedic didn’t close a chapter for him—it opened a new one.
Chief Avsec also enjoyed a long and distinguished career as an instructor in the emergency services field during his career with CFEMS served as an adjunct Fire Instructor for the Virginia Department of Fire Programs and as an adjunct instructor for CFEMS’s Training and Safety Division. He also served as a contract instructor for the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland from 1992 to 2007.
In 2012 Avsec “found” his “first 2nd career” as a freelance writer who contributes on-line content monthly to FireRescue1.com and EMS1.com. He also has his own blog, Talking “Shop” 4 Fire and EMS, where he writes weekly about leadership and management issues in the fire service and EMS.
In 2022, Avsec had a book published, Successful Transformational Change in a Fire and EMS Department: How a Focused Team Created a Revenue Recovery Program in Six Months–From Scratch. It chronicles how a six-member project management team (including Avsec) built an ambulance revenue recovery program and transitioned CFEMS from paper-based patient care reporting to an early digital handheld system—back in 2002, long before such technology became standard.
Chief Avsec earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Fire and Safety Engineering Technology from the University of Cincinnati, graduating magna cum laude, and a Master’s degree in Executive Fire Service Leadership through Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona, graduating summa cum laude. He’s also a 2001 graduate of the NFA’s Executive Fire Officer Program.
He lives in Charleston, West Virginia, and in his spare time, he enjoys snow skiing and golf. (If it’s white, he skis it, if it’s green, he hits golf balls off it).
Host for Monthly Mental Health Clinician
Consultations
Dr. Elizabeth Ramquist, Ph.D
Dr. Ramquist is a Clinical Psychologist in Los
Dr. Ramquist is also an educator who has taught graduate and undergraduate psychology and statistics courses at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology, the University of Notre Dame, Indiana University, and Biola University.
She is a member of APA’s Division 18: Psychologists in Public Service and Division 56: Trauma Psychology. She holds active psychologist licenses in California, Indiana, Idaho, and Washington State (telehealth).
In addition to clinical work, she enjoys giving talks on mental health at hospitals, graduate schools, and community events.
Continuing Education Manager
Dr. Catherine Harris, Psy.D
Dr. Catherine Harris is a licensed psychologist with over twenty years of experience focused on the prevention, identification, treatment, and assessment of suicidality. Her career began with an interest in post-survival experiences following near-death events, influenced by her own surgical trauma in 2003.
Since that time, she has worked with individuals who have survived suicide attempts, disasters, violence, and other significant life events. With experience as a veteran, Dr. Harris has provided services to populations such as military personnel, incarcerated individuals, law enforcement, and fire service professionals in both clinical settings and community environments.
Dr. Harris emphasizes efforts to reduce the long-term emotional and psychological impacts associated with suicidality, considering these efforts as important as addressing acute risks. She addresses chronic suicidal ideation and its effects on quality of life and workplace dynamics.
In addition to her clinical roles within CDCR and volunteer work with the Red Cross, she has contributed to staff training on suicide prevention protocols, supervised clinicians, and developed psychedelic-informed approaches for suicide risk assessment and safety planning. Her current practice, ABO Psychological Corporation, provides care for individuals and professionals experiencing suicidality.
Her background includes professional and personal exposure to suicide-related issues, including supporting peers through crisis situations and experiencing personal loss.
Through workshops such as Portals & Passages: Exploring Death and Dying Through Conversation, she seeks to facilitate open discussions about difficult topics. Dr. Harris supports the idea that self-acceptance plays a role in suicide prevention.
