Character Matters Mass Casualty Santa Barbara enters the real world Normalcy Bias and Disasters Residential Sprinklers Saves Lives Risk and Crisis Communications Technology – Past, Present and Future Volunteers: Asset v. Liability What is in Your Background?

About the Author

Michael S. Williams

Michael S. Williams

Founder the Fire Services Training Institute

Williams founded the Fire Services Training Institute in 1995 to find solutions to the challenges confronting the volunteer fire service. He has been an active member of California State Firefighters Association (CSFA) since 1994, having served on the volunteer and public relations committees, and as a southern division deputy director. He sits on several local organizations including the Santa Barbara County Fire Safe Council, the Tri-Counties Training Officers Association, Santa Barbara Chapter of CAER and is a founding member of the Santa Barbara PIO group Emergency Public Information Communicators (EPIC). He has been the author of many articles and a columnist for a local newspaper on public safety matters. He is also the co-host of Community Alert on KZSB AM-1290 in Santa Barbara. Williams has been a member of the California State Board of Fire Services since 2008. Prior to becoming involved in the volunteer fire service, Williams was a California police officer for 12 ½ years and a POST certified Field Training Officer. He is a licensed private investigator and security consultant specializing in self-insured, government and insurance defense assignments.

Related Articles

Law Enforcement & Security

“Let’s be damned sure that no man’s ghost will ever say – “If your training program had only done it’s job.” - United States Marine Corps. Samuels, et al, A Guide for Explosion and Bombing Scene Investigation, (June 2000), U.S. Department of Justice, NCJ 181869 Weston...

Public Information / Affairs Officer

“Our house is on fire. These have been a bad few months for journalism. We are getting the big stories wrong over and over again…Never before in human history has more information been available to more people. But at the same time, never before in human history has...

Prevention & Risk Management

“If you can think of it, it can happen.” "High risk, low frequency and no time to think.... slow down - slow down." - Gordon Graham, Esq. Ager, et al., A comparison of landscape fuel treatment strategies to mitigate wildland fire risk in the urban interface and...

Contact Us

7 + 3 =

How to Reach Us

PO Box 550, Santa Barbara, CA 93116

(888) 977-1635

Who We Are

FSTI has provided training to the volunteer public safety community since 2006. It has been our mission to provide high quality training to firefighters while at the same time promoting community safety.

Fire Services Training Institute (FSTI) is a non-profit public benefit corporation with both state and federal tax exempt status.