ROBERT LIPSCOMB is Battalion 1 chief on B Shift for the Lynchburg (VA) Fire Department, where he has served since July 1990. He has a BA degree in childhood education from Lynchburg College. During his tenure with the Lynchburg Fire Department, he has served as a firefighterparamedic in field operations; public education captain; engine company captain; and, most recently, training chief. He is certified as a Virginia Office of EMS EMT-paramedic, Virginia Department of Fire Programs instructor III, and fire officer IV. He has attended numerous classes at the National Fire Academy and Emergency Management Institute and training programs sponsored by the Virginia Departments of Fire Programs, Emergency Medical Services, and Emergency Management and the International Association of Fire Chiefs.