National Rescue Consultants, or NRC, has been around for over a decade and was founded as an all-encompassing mobile Special Operations and Urban Search and Rescue training and consulting company. Their motto is simple: Train to Live. HAIX® has been a proud partner of NRC for years. Recently, we sat down with Greg Rogers, co-founder and Vice President of NRC, to find out a little more about him and about his passion for making NRC "the best possible product through well trained, dedicated, competent, humble and safety-conscious professionals."
From Background...
Greg Rogers is a U.S. Navy Veteran and has been in the Fire Service for 26 years. For nearly half of that time, he was on the FEMA Urban Search & Rescue Team in Florida, TF-2. Greg has been into Technical Rescue for most of his life, flying in the Navy and operating on Fire Department Special Operations teams. 12 years ago, he co-founded National Rescue Consultants with his friend Herbert Tyler, and still serves as the Vice President of the company.
The key for NRC is their mobility and their reach. They are a mobile training operation, meaning they come to your department with all their combined technical knowledge. "We saw a tactical gap in training, so we decided to fill it with our knowledge and like-minded instructors" Greg explains. "This is a very important attribute in our community because the budgetary dollar goes farther, and more members of the Special Operations Teams come to the surface, whether it is Federal, State, Regional or local." According to the NRC website, their instructors have high regard for "honor, integrity, diversity, and respect while always focusing on teamwork." It is their belief that agreement on those principles is essential for cohesiveness in the many levels of their trade.
NRC offers classes in a variety of specialty areas related to Technical Search and Rescue, including Rope Rescue, Structural Collapse Training, Machinery Rescue and Trench Rescue. You can receive anything from a broad-based education in technical rescue to a specialty course in driver engineering, firefighter training, mitigation of hazardous materials or even fire service leadership. The course offerings drill-down about as far as you could want to go in any of those areas.
But they don't plan to stop there. According to Greg, NRC's long-term goals are to expand their cadre while "staying the course" of what they are already teaching. They strive to make their discipline better and safer for all involved. They also seek to grow. "We do have some avenues in the future that have not been touched but will be a vital asset to the USAR & Special Operations community" Greg told us. They are always seeking to explore and expand their teaching and their community.
...To Boots on the Ground
Greg has been practicing what he "preaches" for over two dozen years. "I have been deployed numerous times in disasters zones where not too many amenities were up and running for a few days, I have always kept my gear tight and my feet in good working order" Greg explains. His experience in these conditions carries over into the rubble piles, junk yards and uneven terrain he often finds himself navigating for long hours. "The HAIX® boots have always done me right from Fire Hero structural boots to the boots I wear teaching." Greg admits he can be a little "unorthodox" when it comes to footwear. "I like to try new things out, from the HAIX® Scout 2.0, Airpower® XR200 to my current and favorite pair to date, the Black Eagles® (Desert)."
We appreciate the shout out. But more than that, we are thrilled to produce footwear that can stand up to the demands that Greg and the entire team of skilled Technical Rescue professionals put on our line of boots. We continue to partner with NRC not because we want recognition, but because it matters to them, and it will matter to the thousands that are positively impacted by the work that they do. "I appreciate everything HAIX® does for our training company, the team is approachable and are always willing to listen to the personnel in the field, which is very important in my humble opinion" Greg says. "In every class we attend or instruct, at least two or more future USAR team members ask us about footwear and gear we carry. I personally think HAIX® footwear is the front runner in this industry. They have risen to the challenge of making [each new product] better than the last product."
Just like NRC, HAIX® strives to make footwear that will not only last but will continue to protect our heroes as they train and perform their duties in service to their fellow citizens. We hope that all heroes, like Greg, wear HAIX®. But most of all, we hope that all heroes stay safe and train to live.
For more information about NRC, including upcoming classes and training opportunities, visit their website at https://www.nationalrescueconsultants.com/.
