Affectionately known to his friends as “Bob”, throughout his career, he has
served as a leader in fire service organizations, community groups and
equal rights organizations. With over 25 years of experience in suppression
and administrative functions of the fire service, his success in working
towards equality and fairness for underrepresented groups in all
employment aspects of fire service is well documented. He joined the San
Francisco Fire Department in 1974, retiring in 2000. Throughout his career
as a firefighter, Bob worked at each of the 44 stations throughout the City of
San Francisco. He was a member of the Black Firefighters Association, an
employee organization within the Fire Department, where he also served as
President for 12 years. In addition, Bob was actively involved with the
International Association of Black Professional Firefighters where he served
as Southwest Regional Director for four years.
Through hard work and dedication, in 1996 Bob was promoted to the top
position of the San Francisco Fire Department – Chief of Department. As
Chief of Department, essentially the Chief Executive Officer, he managed a
large metropolitan fire department with over 1800 employees. In this role,
he managed all aspects of the fire department insuring that the best
emergency services were delivered to the citizens and those who work in
the City and County of San Francisco. During his tenure, Bob promoted the
greatest percentages of minorities and women in the history of the
department.
Constance Dobbins, Administrative Support
Constance is currently a student at the University of California, Berkeley,
where she is majoring in Mass Communications with plans to attend law
school in the near future. Constance brings a wealth of administrative
experience and has worked in various sectors including corporate and non-
profit. Currently she is responsible for all administrative functions for the
project.
Dr. James Outtz, Industrial Psychologist
Outtz & Associates
Dr. Outtz is President of Outtz and Associates where he specializes in the
development, validation, and evaluation of personnel selection practices
and procedures. In addition, he is the author of numerous publications
including book chapters, journal articles and book reviews on topics such as
the effect of testing medium on validity and subgroup performance,
implementing fair selection strategies, use of test score banding as a
referral method, the role of cognitive ability tests in employment selection,
race discrimination litigation, and affirmative action. He holds a Ph.D. in
Industrial and Organizational Psychology from the University of Maryland.
His role in the project is to develop the written and/or knowledge component
of an exam to be produced by the CFSSP.
Dr. Deborah Gebhardt, Physiologist
Human Performance Systems, Inc.
Dr. Deborah Gebhardt is the President of Human Performance Systems.
Dr. Gebhardt's research and work products have focused on integrating the
biomechanical and physiological aspects of human performance with the
ergonomic aspects of the workplace, resulting in methodologies for
measurement of occupationally related physical capacities and injuries. She
holds a Ph.D. in biomechanics and anatomy from the University of
Maryland. Her role in this project is to develop the physical agility
assessment component of the exam to be produced by CFSSP.
Elyse Duckett, Recruitment Expert
Firefighter, San Francisco Fire Department
Ms. Duckett is currently a member of the San Francisco Fire Department
and was the 1st woman in SFFD history to hold the position of Engine Drive.
She also played a key role in the San Francisco Fire Department’s
successful recruitment efforts of women from 1991-1994. Her role in the
project is to determine a strategy in developing the recruitment/retention
component of the exam to be produced by CFSSP.
Edward Campbell, Safety Expert
Firefighter, San Francisco Fire Department
Mr. Campbell has several years experience as a Public Information Officer
with the San Francisco Fire Department and was responsible for obtaining
internal safety information and disseminating information to the media and
other outside agencies as necessary. His role in the project is to determine
what firefighter safety injuries and/or death prevention policies and/or
procedures should be considered in developing the physical ability
component the exam to be produced by CFSSP.
Jane Smith, Emergency Medical Response Expert
EMS Captain, San Francisco Fire Department
Ms. Smith is an EMS captain for the San Francisco Fire Department. Ms.
Smith brings over 20 years experience as an EMT/Paramedic, with specific
expertise in instruction and curriculum development. Ms. Smith holds a
Masters degree in Adult Education from San Francisco State University,
earned her Bachelor’s degree in Biology/Chemistry from University of San
Francisco and an Associate degree in EMT/Paramedic programs from City
College of San Francisco. Her role in this project is to develop a pre-training
evaluation, and an EMT and Paramedic testing/training programs
Board of Directors
James Jefferson, former President of San Francisco Fire Commissioner,
Management Consultant and Former Federal Court-appointed Special
Master of the SFFD Consent Decree
Binnie Singh, former SFFD Human Resource Director, Human Resource
and Organizational Development expertise
Molly Martin, President of Tradeswomen, Inc. and Women in Non-
Traditional Jobs expert
Johnnie Carter, San Francisco City College Trustee, Legislative
Consultant to California State Senate President pro Tempore Don Perata
