Our Team

Leadership

Robert M. Ziegler, EMSI, EMTP, SEMSO

Robert M. Ziegler, EMSI, EMTP, SEMSO

Principal Owner

Bob has 43 years of active EMS and Fire Service experience in addition to administrative, supervisory, and leadership experience on Regional, County and State levels. Mr. Ziegler is currently certified as an EMS Instructor and Licensed as a Paramedic. 

Mr. Ziegler served as President of Mid-State Regional EMS Council for four years and as a Board member of the Eastern EMS Council for four years. Prior to the Councils re-alignment, Mr. Ziegler was appointed to the South-Central EMS Council’s Regional Advisory Board and the South-Central Regional EMS Council’s Training Committee. Mr. Ziegler is Legislatively appointed as a regular voting member of the State’s EMS Advisory Board (CEMSAB). He is a member of the Emergency Planning Committee, Regionalization Sub-Committee and the MCI Sub-Committee. Mr. Ziegler is also an appointed principal on the NFPA 450 Technical Committee for EMS. Mr. Ziegler is a member of the National EMS Managers Association (NEMSMA) and in 2017 successfully passed the credentialing process to be a Supervising EMS Officer (SEMSO).

Team Members

Gary E. Wiemokly, Ed.D., MPH, EMTP, RN, EMS-I

Director of Professional Development

Gary has been a patient care provider, educator, administrator, and EMS Coach.  Gary is most recently the retired EMS Chief for the Town of Enfield, CT. With over 45 years in EMS as a paramedic/firefighter, flight nurse/paramedic, EMS Educator, EMS author, and CT State OEMS Director, Gary’s combined love of EMS, people, and unique personal teaching style has made him a favorite speaker at EMS conferences nationally and internationally.  Gary’s ability to effectively communicate issues within EMS Systems as well problem solve through education and experience; make his expertise tangible to improve, enhance care-provider activities and ultimately patient care delivery.  

Gary is the Primary Resource for: Team member development, training, orientation, and the development of ERM leadership.

Matt Ziegler, B.S., EMS-I

Assistant Field Operations Coordinator

Matt has over 14 years of active EMS & Fire experience, including with ERM for 11 years where he was also Haddam’s CSC. Matt started as an EMR before completing his EMT 3 years later and then obtaining his EMS Instructor for the last 7 years. Matt is a career Firefighter/EMT. He has also been an EMS LT and now is a Fire LT in his Volunteer Fire Department where he has also obtained Fire Service Instructor and Fire Officer 2. Matt graduated from the University of New Haven with a bachelor’s degree in Fire Administration. In his off-time Matt loves spending time with his German Shepherd ‘Halligan’ (Halli).

Matt is an additional Resource for: ERM Site Leadership Communication, Partner Service Communication, Performance Conversations and Miscellaneous Operations Issues.

John Fortin, B.S., EMT

Watch Desk / Scheduling Coordinator

John joined ERM in 2018. John has worked in various client locations and is currently an FTO. John holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and Biology. He hopes to pursue his EMS-I in the future and hopes to train future generations of EMTs. Prior to EMS John was a store manager at two different Radio Shacks stores, and most recently was a manager at Panera Bread while working with us part time. John also has his own design company.

John is the Primary Resource for: Assuring the schedule is filled as well as providing coordination of the Watch Desk. 

Ben Zura, EMSI

Director of Innovation and Strategy

Ben joined ERM in 2017, serving as the CSC at Haddam Volunteer Ambulance Service before accepting his current position. Ben’s experience in healthcare systems design and employee engagement are vital to creating sustainable alternatives to traditional ambulance staffing models. 

Originally from Farmington, CT, Ben studied at the University of Arizona in Tucson and Hampshire College in Amherst, MA. 

Returning to CT after college, Ben spent 8 years teaching literature and creative writing to gifted students at the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts and Wesleyan’s Center for Creative Youth. During this time, Ben was also a teaching artist at the Bushnell Center for the Arts. After moving into administration, Ben served as the Residential Director of the Center for Creative Youth, hiring, training, and managing a staff of instructors and residential advisors. 

Ben got lost on the way to P.A. school and began a career in EMS at Hunters Ambulance Service. There, he created an employee engagement Working Group and served on the Union’s contract negotiating committee, spending a year revising the rules and procedures that govern the daily operations of a commercial ambulance service. In 2015, Ben had the opportunity to build an ambulance service from the ground up when he became one of the founders of Middlesex Hospital’s Critical Care transport service. At Middlesex, Ben was able to design and implement forward-looking procedures and to help plan for the State’s adoption of Mobile Integrated Healthcare model. 

In 2019, Ben was elected to the Board of Directors of CAPE, the Connecticut Association of Paramedics and EMTs. The state’s first independent EMS association was formed to advocate on behalf of rank-and-file EMS providers at the State Legislature and on state EMS committees. 

Ben is the Primary Resource for: Identifying Complex Companywide Problems and Opportunities.

David Bondanza, Esq., EMT

EMS Corporate Counsel

Dave is a 35 yr. experienced Fire/EMS responder who has worked in both commercial, and volunteer departments answering untold numbers of calls for help and holding all positions including Chief of the Department for the Town of Canton from 2000-2002.  

Currently Attorney Bondanza serves as part time counsel for Emergency Resource Management where he also maintains his EMT certification for active ambulance duty.  Attorney Bondanza is Senior Corporate Attorney at The Lane Construction Corporation where he litigates cases before administrative agencies including OSHA, DOL, EEOC and EPA. 

Additionally, Attorney Bondanza handles the company’s labor and employment issues and is also responsible for the review and resolution of contractual matters.  An Electrical Engineer for 20 years prior to attending law school, David received his Juris Doctor from Quinnipiac University School of Law and is licensed to practice law in Connecticut, New York and Federal Courts.  In addition to the practice of law, David is an Adjunct Professor at Purdue Global University and teaches Torts, Employment Law, Legal Research, Legal Analysis.

Richard E. Brown, III

Director of People and Culture (HR)

Richard E. Brown, III became Emergency Resource Management’s Human Resources Manager on November 20, 2022.

He has an extensive record of strong human resources leadership developed over more than 40 years, leading diverse organizations during times of significant transformations, mergers and acquisitions, and growth initiatives. He has led major projects to generate performance improvements through process streamlining, enhanced customer service, improved deployment of technology, more effective marketing programs, and strengthened organizational effectiveness.

Rick received his MBA from the University of New Haven and B.S. in Psychology from Sacred Heart University.  He also graduated from the Business & HR Executive Leadership Program at the University of North Carolina Hill Kenan-Flagler Business School, Chapel Hill, NC.

Rick is the Primary Resource for: Leading ERM’s human resources strategy, talent acquisition, leadership development, organizational design, compensation and benefits, employee relations, and people operations.

Mark Damaschi

Employee Engagement Coordinator

Mark is a recent graduate from Eastern Connecticut State University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Organization Psychology. During his time at ECSU, he completed research looking at the relationship between job satisfaction, self-esteem, and work productivity. Mark joined ERM in 2022 and currently serves as the Employee Engagement Coordinator. He enjoys spending his free time playing in the Connecticut Twilight Baseball League as well as multiple slow-pitch softball leagues across the state.

Mark is the Primary Resource for: accountable for the company onboarding experience and work employees across the entire employee life cycle. Make sure all touchpoints have impact in employee engagement. Actively identify opportunities to refine the entire employee experience from recruitment to separation.

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