Meet Dr Bob Ditch
Dr. Ditch is a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel, having served 32+ years and six combat tours in Southeast Asia/Vietnam War (twice), Somalia, and three Middle East tours. Since retirement from the military, he has served as an All-Hazards Incident Management Team (IMT), Fire/EMS, Homeland Security (HLS)/Emergency Management (EM), Terrorism, and Mass Casualty Incident (MCI), and Disaster/Crisis Planner; Incident Commander, Planner, and Public Information Officer; concentrating 32 years of military service and 22 years in local, private, academic, and federal EM sectors supporting, Fire/EMS, EM/HLS, research, and education.
He served as a Planning Section Chief on a Regional and Metropolitan Medical Response System Strike Team, a Federal Disaster Medical Assistance Team and in the Medical Reserve Corps; on U.S. Departments of Homeland Security (DHS)/FEMA, Health & Human Services (HHS), and Arizona regional IMTs. He has also served during missions in FEMA’s National Response Coordination Center, HHS Secretary’s Operations Center, three FEMA Regional Response Coordination Centers, and five Federal Joint Field Offices He deployed on three dozen federally declared and six international disasters; including hurricanes Ivan, Katrina and Rita (3-times), Charlie, Isabel, Gustav, Isaac, Erma, Hermine, Sandy, Matthew, Harvey, Dorian, Laura, Ian, Isabel, Imelda, Beryl, Dorian, Ike, Bonnie, Frances, Isaac, Imelda, and Jeanne; the Somalia famine; Zika Virus in Puerto Rico; both Puerto Rico and Haiti Earthquakes, and both H1N1 and COVID-19 pandemics. In addition, as a first responder, he has also responded to many hurricanes, forest wildfires, tornado outbreaks, winter snow/ice storms, floods, aircraft crashes, vehicle MCIs, and HAZMAT incidents as a rescue tech and volunteer firefighter, chief fire officer, and paramedic for 52 years. He currently serves as an ordained minister/volunteer fire department chaplain.
Formerly the first Director of Planning for DOD’s Terrorism response joint headquarters Joint Task Force – Civil Support; immediately following 9-11, he was handpicked to serve as the Director of Education, Training & Exercises for DOD’s Standing Joint Force Headquarters-HLS; setting up and managing the initial HLS Education, Training, and Exercise programs for both U.S. Joint Forces Command and later the new U.S. Northern Command, serving on the latter’s Unified Command Implementation Team, he trained the initial staff. He later served as a project/plan consultant and trainer for DHS, DOD, FBI, and FEMA. He was a FEMA Senior Executives pandemic flu trainer and Subject Matter Expert for FEMA’s EMS and Aeromedical Evacuation Typing project, and both IMT and Emergency Operations Center Position Task Book and Typing projects. He conducted terrorism planning for the 2002 Winter Olympics; served as the first DOD liaison officer at Ground Zero in New York on 9/11 (now a 9-11 response Kidney Cancer victim/survivor); planner for the DHS TOPOFF II & III national terrorism exercises and participant in the New Madrid earthquake 2011 National Level Exercise (NLE), Super Bowl XLIX, and 2016 Republican National Convention. He was the Public Health/Medical IMT PSC for two Presidential Inaugurations and five State of the Union Addresses. He served a year as the Medical Director of United Nations (UN) in Somalia (1993-1994); directing all humanitarian medical operations, and 39 MCIs; including multiple incidents involving 100-150 wounded; six times under fire. He also directed the multi-national casualty care /evacuation operations in Mogadishu, Somalia depicted in the movie Black Hawk Down. During the COVID pandemic, he served at a vaccination site; and conceptualized, created, and ran the nation’s largest volunteer blood program, called Operation Pulse Lift, at 36 sites in 13 states: saving over 55,000 lives during of the pandemic; now over 350,000 lives saved in six years at 110 sites across the nation (including Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico). Recently he has been an invited planning participant in the 2026-2027 NLE in Colorado and serves as a Civil Air Patrol Agency Representative in the FEMA Region 8 RRCC Operations/Air Branch.
For 23 years he developed/instructed three EM/HLS courses for Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) and taught for the Texas, Virginia and Arizona Divisions of Emergency Management and Fire Programs. He is a visiting lecturer at the National War College, Air University, National Defense University & Joint Forces Staff College; teaching HLS/EM Planning at the Joint Advanced Warfare School.
He is a Health Services Research & Leadership/Management Associate Professor at The George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington D.C; a full Professor of EM/HLS, Management & Leadership studies for the University of Maryland Global Campus, American Public University, and Grand Canyon University. He served as a Center Director and Academic Review Committee member for the National Disaster Life Support Foundation, and the Preparedness and Education Committees for the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians. He presented to the U.S. Secretary of Defense/Canada National Defense Minister at the US and Canadian Joint Board on Defense in Ottawa, Canada; at the Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine, Defense Medical Readiness Training Institute, and Uniformed Services University for Health Services; the NATO School in Oberammergau, Germany; and numerous Medical/Nursing Schools; Medical/EMS/Fire-Public safety conferences, consortiums/seminars and courses nation-wide/overseas; the National Fire Academy; 21 years for the FEMA’s National Disaster Emergency Management University-Emergency Management Institute, and Center for Domestic Preparedness; and Tidewater Virginia Regional Fire Academy. He served as a 12-year Certification Commissioner and 7-year Uniformed Services Chair for the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM), and curriculum evaluator for the American Council on Education.
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PROFESIONAL HISTORY, LICENSES, CERTIFICATIONS
§ U.S. Department of Homeland Security-FEMA Terrorism, HAZMAT, CBRNE, EM, and ICS Instructor.
§ U.S. Department of War, Local Fire/EMS, AHIMT, and EM Instructor.
§ 30+ year Certified Emergency Manager (CEM ®), IAEM.
§ Virginia Professional Emergency Manager (VPEM).
§ Texas Emergency Manager (TEM).
§ Certified Military Master EM Specialist,
§ Certified Chief Fire Officer, Incident Commander (IC), Fire Officer IV, Fire Instructor III, Rescue Technician, Aircraft Rescue Firefighter and Hazardous Materials IC
§ 52+ year Licensed/Certified (TX/WY/AZ) and Nationally Registered Paramedic/EMS Instructor.
§ Ordained Minister and Fire Department Chaplain.
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EDUCATION
§ Doctor of Education (Emphasis - HLS/EM Adult Higher Education), Walden University.
§ MSHS/MPH - Emphasis in Disaster/Pandemic Response, Chapman, University.
§ BS – Fire Science - Emphasis Disaster Management, University of Maryland.
§ BS - Health Care - EMS Administration & Management, Southern Illinois University.
§ AS – Medical Technology, Community College of the Air Force
§ Professional Certificate - Management; Notre Dame University.
§ Professional Certificate - Leadership; Notre Dame University.
§ Professional Certificate - Crisis Leadership; Harvard University.
§ Professional Certificate - Community Disaster Preparedness for Healthcare: Texas A&M University.
§ Headquarters U.S. Air Force 1/Yr Post-Graduate Contingency Planner and Readiness Fellowship,
§ Air University Air War College, Air Command & Staff College, Squadron Officer School, the NCO Academy, and NCO Leadership School.
§ U.S. Marine Corps Command & Staff College, Marine Corps Institute.
§ Special Operations and Airlift Operations Schools,
§ FEMA Executive Fire Officer Post-Graduate Program, National Fire Academy.
§ FEMA Executive Emergency Management Academy, NDEMU – EMI.
§ Air Force Fire Marshal School.
§ State of Virginia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Command Schools.
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AWARDS
Bronze Star Medal with Valor Device for heroism (Somalia); and 30 other DoD awards for heroism-meritorious service; ten campaign medals from UN, Africa, Middle East, Latin American, Korea, and Southeast Asia operations; and three for Homeland Defense/Disaster Operations. He was presented the 2004
Governor of Virginia Fire Services Instructor of the Year Award, the 2007 Governor of Virginia EMS Educator of the Year Award, and 2010 Governor of Virginia Fire Service Excellence Award for teaching Disaster/Terrorism/Homeland Security courses; both the 2008 and 2013 National EMS Educator of the Year Award; for three years the U.S. Department of Homeland Security/FEMA Bronze Trainer Award; the Alpha Epsilon Xi Scholarship Initiate Award by the Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society in Education; and a U.S. Public Health Service Commendation Award by the U.S. Surgeon General. In 1992, he received a Fire Service Life-Saver Award for rescuing/saving the lives of a family of six in a swift-water rescue in Austin, TX; the President of the United States Volunteer Life-time Service Award; AZ EM Association’s Excellence in EM Award. In 2015 he was named one of the Top 25 Emergency Medicine Professors in the Nation. From 2020-2026 he annually received the American Red Cross Outstanding Service Award, Premier Partner Award, in 2023 the Ironman Award, and 2025 National Impact Award; in 2021 IAEM Emergency Manager of the Year Award, and National Incident Staff Officer of the Year Award by the Air Force Auxiliary–Civil Air Patrol (CAP); Community Partnership Award by the Council of Colleges and Military Educators; 2023 the AZ Governor’s Community Service Lifetime Achievement Award, and CAP regional Operations Staff Officer of the Year Award. In 2024 he received the Career Lifetime Excellence Award by IAEM, the HQs 1st Air Force Meritorious Mission of the Year Awards, (2nd time) Chief of Staff of the Air Force - Volunteer Excellence, and for the third year in a row, the CAP Regional Operations Staff Officer Award. In 2025 he received CAP’s Regional Disaster Relief and IAEM EM Education Organization of the Year Awards. In 2026 he received both the Biomedical Service Award and President’s Award (highest national award presented) by the American Red Cross for Outstanding Humanitarian Service to the Nation.
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PUBLICATIONS
Author - Books/Research Publications
1. Consequence Management and Terrorism Response. 2002, CSI, The War College, Carlisle, PA.
2. “Medic in Mogadishu,” United Nations Medical Operations in Somalia 1993-1994. 1994, UNNY
3. An analysis of initiatives that influence the achievement of higher education by chief fire officers. 2012, Walden University.
4. An analysis of emergency response to terrorism incident management concepts and principles for the employment and direction of fire and emergency services at Department of Defense installations. 2002, U.S. Fire Administration (USFA). Emmitsburg, MD
5. An analysis regarding the application of the principles of quality management in fire/EMS services. 2000, USFA.
6. Applying principles of command & control to employment of fire services in the Air Force 1999, USFA
7. An analysis and status of medical readiness planners in the U.S Air Force 1998, USFA,
8, Textbook Contributor- Advanced Disaster Life Support 3.0American Medical Assc, 2012, Chicago, IL
9. Textbook Contributor - Basic Disaster Life Support 3.0 American Medical Assc, 2012, Chicago, IL
10.Textbook Contributor - Prehospital Trauma Life Support, Jones & Bartlett, 2014, Burlington, MA.
11.Textbook Contributor - The Business of Counterterrorism: Peter Lang Pub Inc. 2014, New York, NY.
Articles Reviewed
1. Homeland Security, Best Practices for Local Government. Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (JHLSEM), The Berkeley Press Volume 8, Issue 2011 Article 21
2. High-Tech Terror: Recognition, Management and Prevention of Biological, Chemical, and Nuclear Injuries Secondary to Acts of Terrorism. JHLSEM, The Berkeley Press. Manuscript 1737.
3. Medical Disaster Response: A Survival Guide for Hospitals in Mass Casualty Events. JHLSEM,
4. Who’s in Charge? Leadership during Epidemics, Bioterror Attacks & Public Health Crises. JHLSEM.
5. Catastrophic Disaster Planning and Response. JHLSEM. The Berkeley Press. Volume 7, Issue 1 2010,
6. The long Shadow of 9/11. JHLSEM, Berkeley Press Vol 8, 2011, 21