Hazmat

Staff Biographies

Art Deyo

Section Manager, Trainer III

Since 1984, Art Deyo has served in local, state, and federal governments as a firefighter, fire engineer, hazmat coordinator, instructor, and fire captain providing fire and emergency services, staff supervision, training, incident management, and terrorism consequence preparedness. Art served as a fire department arson investigator for 14 years and was a court-qualified expert witness. He was on the fire department hazardous materials team for 15 years and also served as the team coordinator, providing leadership to transform the fire department hazmat team into a weapons of mass destruction (WMD) unit—operationally prepared, trained, and equipped through the implementation of Homeland Security grants and federally sponsored training. He has taught courses in hazardous materials, emergency preparedness, and fire protection for police and fire departments across the USA and internationally. Art has college degrees in fire science, fire administration, and political science. Art provides specialized training for emergency response to incidents involving the storage and transportation of nuclear materials. Along with this, he monitors the current transportation of nuclear materials through the state. Art also works with the Department of Energy to procure materials being decommissioned from their closed facilities. Art receives and processes hundreds of applications to attend training at various federal facilities including Cobra Bio weapons training facility at Anniston, Alabama; Incident Response to Terrorist Bombings school at Socorro, New Mexico; Bechtel radiological training at the Nevada Test Site; DOE training at Carlsbad, New Mexico, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and Pocatello, Idaho; and Dugway Proving Grounds Bio/Chemical school at Dugway, Utah.

Wade Francis

Trainer III

Wade has over 40 years of military and public service experience. He specializes as an instructor and consultant for emergency response and special technical operations for Hazardous Materials; Weapons of Mass Destruction; Chemical Biological Radiological, & Nuclear; and the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program. He has provided training to Utah’s first responder and medical first receiver communities across the state of Utah. He regularly performs as an instructor and federal exercise evaluator for the US Department of Homeland Security/FEMA and The U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency during CSEPP and CBRN exercises across the nation. He is a FEMA Master Exercise Practitioner (MEP). Wade retired with over 35 years of military service including both active and reserve duty with the Utah Army National Guard and the U.S. Navy. Wade was mobilized for wartime service from June 2006 through September 2007 where he performed as an Embedded Tactical Trainer (combat adviser) to the Afghanistan National Army and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart Medal, and the Combat Action Badge. While serving with the Utah National Guard, CST, and CSEPP, he trained and certified team personnel to respond to incidents involving the accidental or intentional release, or terrorist use of weapons of mass destruction or CBRN materials.

Ryan Putman

Trainer III

Ryan has over 16 years of public safety experience, working for private EMS agencies, and volunteer, part-time/full-time combination, and career fire departments. Ryan started with the State Fire Marshal’s Office in 2016 as a hazardous materials instructor, and now also performs fire code enforcement and fire investigations for the Fire Marshal’s office. Ryan started the Office’s unmanned vehicle program, and is a nationally-recognized expert on the use of unmanned vehicles in hazardous environments with several published papers and instructing invitations across North America. Ryan also started the virtual reality training program at the Fire Marshal’s office and is a public safety partner for NIST’s Public Safety Communications Research CommanDING Tech Challenge. Ryan earned his Associate of Science from Weber State University, his Bachelor of Science in Environmental Management from Columbia Southern University, and Master’s of Science in Management and Leadership from Western Governors University. Ryan also has training, certifications, and qualifications as an Advanced-EMT, Firefighter, Wildland Firefighter, Industrial Firefighter, Hazardous Materials Technician, Radiation Specialist, Hazardous Materials Assistant Safety Officer, Hazardous Materials Incident Commander, Fire and Explosion Investigator, Fire Inspector, & Fire Services Instructor.

Paul Christensen

Trainer III

Paul Christensen is a Deputy State Fire Marshal in the Hazmat Section of the Utah State Fire Marshal’s Office. Paul has served for over 20 years in various positions throughout the fire service. Paul started his career in the fire service in 2000 as a wildland firefighter, which he continued to do for the next 15 years. In 2004, Paul started working as a Firefighter/EMT for Layton City Fire Department. This new direction grew his love for serving the community. Paul completed his fire training through Utah Fire Rescue Academy (UFRA) and his Paramedic through the University of Utah Paramedic program. Paul has worked as a Fire/EMS provider in Salt Lake, Davis, and Weber Counties. He has also been an active member of the Weber County Hazardous Materials Response Team. Paul has taught in various high schools and colleges throughout the State of Utah. He has taught course topics in fire science, hazardous material response, and emergency medical services. In addition to providing new opportunities for local students, he has also coordinated educational experiences at remote locations like the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and the surrounding areas of Ukraine. Paul also provides self-development and relationship coaching to first responders and their family members. In his down time, Paul loves traveling the world and adventuring outdoors with his family.