bob shields

Bob is the owner and lead instructor for Aquatic Rescue Training. He has been involved in the fire and EMS profession for over 35 years. His experience in water rescue began in the late 1980's when he took his first recreational scuba program. By 2000 he was a certified public safety diver, ice diver, ice rescue instructor and swiftwater technician.Over the next ten years, he obtained instructor credentials in all aspects of aquatic rescue and recreational scuba diving. He is the founder and team coordinator of a local fire department based water rescue and dive team where he has been involved in numerous rescues and recoveries. Bob has been involved in several underwater investigations throughout the country and has consulted on aquatic related fatalities involving public safety personnel. Bob has contributed to several water rescue and EMS textbooks, spoke at numerous regional and national conferences, and is a blog contributor for Emergency Response Diving International (ERDI). 

SDI/ERDI/FRTI Instructor #24793

SDI Open Water Scuba Instructor

SDI Search and Recovery Diver Instructor

ERDI Emergency Response Diver Instructor (ERD1, ERD2, ERD Supervisor)

ERDI Tender Instructor

ERDI Full Face Mask Instructor

ERDI Drysuit Ops Instructor 

ERDI Night Ops Instructor

ERDI Surface Ice Rescue Instructor

ERDI Swiftwater Rescue Instructor

ERDI Rescue Swimmer Instructor

FRTI Instructor (CPR, First Aid, Bloodborne Pathogens, Oxygen Administration)

Stop The Bleed Instructor

ASHI Wilderness First Aid Instructor

HSI BLS CPR Instructor

David has over 20 years of public safety service. He is an instructor for the Rhode Island Fire Academy and an American Heart Association CPR instructor. David has been an active member of the fire departments water rescue/dive team and serves as the teams lead dive tender. He also is certified as an ice rescue and swiftwater rescue technician. David assists with instructing all of the ERDI programs, handles all dive tender training, and teaches CPR and First Aid as a First Response Training International (FRTI) Instructor

ERDI Non Diving Instructor

ERDI Tender Instructor

FRTI Instructor

AHA CPR & First Aid Instructor

RI Fire Academy Instructor