Following this, David pursued a career in firefighting, first working with the Canadian Forces and then with Central York Fire Services. He quickly brought his special set of skills and leadership abilities to good use there, becoming a Shift training instructor for both rope rescue and ice water rescue, as well as a peer fitness trainer.

Outside of the fire hall, David spent years as a professional coach and instructor for the Barrie Colts Minor/Midget AAA hockey teams as well as the Bradford Bulls Jr. A, specializing in player development. His success there led him to become an Ontario Hockey League Player Development Program of Excellence coach, which he enjoyed for three seasons, spending countless hours with young players helping them to improve their game and reach their goals both on and off the ice. A father of three, David also volunteers his free time coaching his children’s sports teams.

Early on David realized he had a passion for helping others and leading them to their full potential. It was shortly after becoming a member of the Central York Fire Service Health and Safety Committee, David attended a conference and learned of the detrimental effects of critical incident stress, which could lead to PTSD, and how effective a Peer Support Team model could be. He then went to management within CYFS and spearheaded the creation of their first Critical Incident Stress Management team, and recruited several other members into the program. Over the years David has managed the team through several operational debriefings and defusings following traumatic incidents and has received countless accolades from his peers. David is also a volunteer member of the York Regional CISM team, working closely with York Region EMS and York Regional Police.

It would be hard to find another person as qualified as David to talk about critical incident stress and the best way to manage its effects. As a member of the military for ten years and an emergency first responder for sixteen, David has seen a myriad of traumatic events. As such, he is in the unique position to know first hand how those events effect not just the victims but those that respond to the calls, and how imperative it is to have the necessary tools and skills to deal with the aftereffects. Through the years David has become a certified instructor with the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation and has taught a number of courses to emergency first responders and their affiliates. His unique ability to relate to people of all backgrounds and occupations makes David an invaluable resource to learn from.

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