EMS Program Committee

Dr. Bradley Elias, MD Physician Medical Director

Dr. Bradley Elias, MD is a board-certified physician medical director in Jacksonville, Florida. He is currently licensed to practice medicine in Florida and is affiliated with the Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville and is the Program Committee Director for the EMS Program Committee.

Dr. Elias graduated from University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in 1997 and has been in practice for 19 years. He holds positions regarding disaster preparedness and response at a local, regional and state level. Dr. Elias’ positions also include serving as a medical director for the Jacksonville Fire Rescue Department, an OPS government operations consultant for the Florida Department of Health and as a team physician for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and Jacksonville Sheriff Office.

Mike Binney, Training Lieutenant

Mike Binney, Training Lieutenant, has been working in EMS for 14 years and now serves as a Training Lieutenant of EMS at West Metro Fire Rescue in Lakewood, Colorado. Working closely with medical direction, he develops QM-driven curriculum and manages West Metro’s online learning platform for state and national recertification for 375 providers.

Mike earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado in Psychology with a concentration in cognitive neuroscience as well as a certificate in business-driven advertising from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. He was the 2018 recipient of the EMSAC Instructor of the Year award. Additionally, Mike currently sits on the Paramedic Education Program Advisory Committee for the Arapahoe Community College Paramedic School as a graduate advisor where he continues to work as an adjunct educator.

Paul Costello, EMT-P, FF, Fire Service Instructor, BS in Healthcare Administration

Paul Costello, EMT-P, FF, Fire Service Instructor, has over 25 years of experience in EMS and fire rescue. His published works include participation in a novel QA/QI initiative that led to an early adoption of the CARES program in his region. Paul is also an award-winning paramedic of his own right, as a former paramedic of the year.

Having served in several positions ranging from paramedic to Acting and Interim Training Division Chief, Costello has a love of evidence-based education and earned a Bachelors of Science in Healthcare Administration. He was one of six global coordinators for the world’s largest cardiac arrest research trial. The findings from this work continue to have broad-reaching effects to this day in the realm of resuscitation.

He also personally won an American Heart Association ReSS Scholarship. He was an integral component of the team that earned the Florida EMS Provider of the Year and the national distinction of Heart Safe Community. Most recently, he was on the team that won the highly esteemed 2017 Silver Brandon Hall Award for Excellence for his role as the writer/director in the NFPA 1410 series.

Ricky L. Rod, RN, NRP

Ricky L. Rod, RN, NRP is a retired QA/QI Clinical Nurse Coordinator for the EMS Division, San Diego Fire Department, and Rural/Metro San Diego. He is currently a Deployment asset, both RN and Paramedic, for the US Department of HHS, NDMS.

Prior experience includes Paramedic Field Training Coordinator, RN Clinical Educator, and Paramedic Field Training Officer in San Diego since 1987. Ricky has been employed and licensed in Emergency Medical Services since 1973, including being one of the first EMTs in the United States Navy.

Ricky holds various EMS teaching credentials, having been an educator in various EMS programs and colleges since 1980. He has been awarded a Meritorious Service Medal by the State of California EMSA for accomplishments in EMS after over 40 years of dedicated service in EMS, and was selected to participate in a NATO Partnership for Peace Disaster Medical Action Team, and served three deployments to Ukraine. Ricky has been a deployable asset for USHHS NDMS DMAT CA-4 as both a Paramedic and Registered Nurse, since 1996, having deployed to various national disasters, as well as providing Emergency Medical Services for federal functions to include the United States Presidential State of the Union Address.

Ricky enjoys providing EMS For special events, including three NFL Super Bowl events, marathons, and golf tournaments. He and his wife, Linda, reside in the beautiful Laguna mountain community of Alpine, CA, and have one son, who currently serves as Chief Petty Officer in the United States Coast Guard.

Michael Fraley, Paramedic

Michael Fraley has over 30 years of experience in EMS. He’s held a wide range of roles including flight paramedic, EMS coordinator, service director and educator. Michael has also worked as a deputy coroner and operated a small assisted living facility. Michael currently serves as the coordinator of a regional trauma advisory council in north central Wisconsin and still works EMS shifts for a local 911 service. He enjoys EMS quality improvement work and looks at every problem as an opportunity for improvement.

Michael began his career in EMS while earning a Bachelor of Science in Poultry Science from Texas A&M University. He later completed a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and Management from Lakeland College. Outside of EMS, Michael is a private pilot and serves as a public safety diver and SCUBA instructor in Northern Wisconsin. He enjoys RV travel with his wife and Siberian Husky dog, Axel.