Boone County Fire District/Missouri Task Force 1
Erin McGruder is an experienced instructional program manager at The University of Kansas Fire and Rescue Training Institute, also holding the title of Planning Team Manager at Missouri Task Force 1. With a background in fire and rescue, Erin is also a skilled firefighter and EMT-B. Erin has a strong educational background with a Master's in Public Affairs from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a Bachelor's in Equestrian Business Management from Stephens College. Throughout their career, Erin has also worked in marketing, project coordination, and emergency communications operations. Erin's diverse skill set includes various certifications in firefighting and emergency response, as well as experience in technology consulting and publishing.
Boone County Fire District/Missouri Task Force 1
The Boone County Fire Protection District is the largest volunteer fire department in the State of Missouri. It encompasses approximately 500 square miles, operates 14 fire station locations with some 50 pieces of fire apparatus. Over two hundred volunteer men and women give of their time and talents to protect their community and have become recognized nationally as a premier organization. The Boone County Fire Protection District also serves as the sponsoring agency for an Urban Search and Rescue Task Force – Missouri Task Force 1 (MO-TF1). This US&R Task Force operates as a state resource under SEMA in a similar capacity to those established in California. The Boone County Fire Protection District serves as a resource for personnel, management and training and maintains a vast equipment cache. In 1997, Missouri Task Force 1 was designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as one of 28 National teams eligible to deploy to national disasters. Most notably, MO-TF1 has deployed to New York City in response to the September 11th attacks, Hurricane Katrina, and the devastating F-5 tornado that hit Joplin, Missouri in May 2011.