WithTheCommand.com has announced the appointment of Captain James Benjamin to serve as a contributing editor of the newly developed Safety Section of the website.  As the name implies, this area will report on topics relating to Safety, Health, Environmental, and Regulatory topics in both private industry and the fire service alike.

Captain Benjamin is a career Safety Professional for a global chemical company headquartered in Cincinnati.  He is also a Captain on the Glendale Fire Department, which is a historic residential community just North of Cincinnati, Ohio.  The Glendale Fire Department runs Automatic Aid (on all structure related calls) with the Woodlawn and Lincoln Heights Fire Departments in Ohio.  James has served the Glendale Fire Department since 1988 when at the age of 14 he joined as a Cadet.  At the same age, James joined the Springdale Fire Department Explorer Post (Post 911).  During his time as Explorer Post Chief, Post 911 was ranked 3rd in the Nation.

Captain Benjamin holds both a Masters of Science Degree in Loss Prevention and Safety, as well as, Bachelors of Science Degree in Police Administration with a minor in Fire Protection Engineering Technology from Eastern Kentucky University.  Some of the professional certifications Captain Benjamin holds include:

• Firefighter
• National Registered EMT-B,
• Certified Arson and Explosion Investigator/Instructor,
• Certified Safety and Health Manager,
• Certified Fire and Safety Inspector,
• Certified Hazardous Materials Technician

Captain Benjamin is also an active member of the Hamilton County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC).  He is also a member of the following organizations:

• National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA),
• The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) Professional Member,
• National Association of Fire Investigators (NAFI),
• Institute for Safety and Health Management (ISHM), and the
• Fire Department Safety Officers Association (FDSOA).

In 1994 Captain Benjamin received the Lincoln Heights Fire Department’s Heroism Medal for a double rescue involving a man and his infant son who were trapped in a fully involved apartment fire.

James is a native of Cincinnati, Ohio and currently lives in Glendale.  He is a second-generation firefighter; his father (deceased) was a firefighter with Glendale and his brother is a career firefighter for the Loveland-Symmes Fire Department in Loveland, Ohio.