Chief Whitehead has over 35 years of fire and rescue experience.  He spent 28 years working for the Livonia Fire Department, MI, while serving 13 years as Chief. During his tenure he also served as the Chief of Special Operations for Western Wayne County, encompassing both Hazmat Response Team & USAR Strike Team operations. The opportunity to previously Chair the MI-MABAS Special Operations Work Group and serve as President of the Southeast Michigan Association of Fire Chiefs was a career privilege as well. Currently, he serves with Michigan USAR Task Force 1 (MI-TF1) as a Task Force Leader and the team’s Training & Exercise Coordinator. He has been involved in Emergency Response Planning and Program Development for the last 20 years, continuing to instruct on a variety of emergency response topics including fire department ISO and HSO programs.