Doug Nelson has been a firefighter and paramedic for more than two decades. He is currently Fire Marshal for the Burnsville, Minnesota, fire department. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from MankatoStateUniversity. Doug spent 21 years in the Air National Guard and supervised six firefighters while deployed to Iraq in 2004. At the forefront of the State Citizen Corp Council, Doug was instrumental in developing the first Citizen Corps Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program in Minnesota and currently sits on the State Citizen Corp Council. In 2009, Doug was one of 13 participants chosen to formally develop CERT program management criteria and guidance at a national level.