During his training, Eric was very fortunate to learn from Russ Borne and Reed Thorne, who re-awakened his perspective of the vertical realm and the art of rigging. Eric has achieved instructor ratings from the National Association of Search & Rescue (NASAR), the American Red Cross, the American Safety & Health Institute, and the New Jersey State Police Hazardous Materials Response Unit and New Jersey Office of Emergency Management. Eric has also achieved the status of being a NASAR SARTECH II Coordinator.

Eric serves as the Search & Rescue Coordinator for Middlesex County Office of Emergency Management and has the honor of serving as the President of the Search & Rescue Council of New Jersey for the past 3 years. Eric has received awards from the New York City Urban Parks Service and NJ Youth Corps.

Eric has made numerous appearances on television shows including NJ News 12, Comcast CN8, Animal Planet, CNN Nancy Grace, and The Learning Channel’s (TLC) “Help Wanted”

Eric’s attitude is to push each individual student beyond the memorization of a classroom lecture and to become thinking, problem solving rescuers who can improvise and adapt to their individual emergency situation.

Eric has authored magazine articles on technical rescue and has been a keynote speaker and presenter at such forums as the New Jersey First Aid Squad Council Convention and the New Jersey Sector – American Industrial Hygiene Association, and the American Society for Nondestructive Testing Metropolitan NY – Northern NJ. Eric has also provided presentations for the Pennsylvania Search & Rescue Council. Eric continues to assure that Over the Edge, Inc. gives back to local communities by providing lectures and technical rope rescue demonstrations for various agencies including public schools, Youth Corp./Americorp programs, the Boy Scouts of America, and church youth groups.

The philosophy of Over The Edge, Inc is to provide various concepts and techniques presently used by rescuers across the world. By providing these different perspectives, OTE students will develop diversity and problem solving skills as individuals. Which will give the student an understanding of not only the “How” but, the “Why” in the methodology of techniques used to manage an incident.