JOHN ELLIS:
 
JOHN ELLIS




 
 
 
 
 
President and Founder of Incident Command Technologies in Chesterfield Township and Co-Founder and Chief Evangelist of ERT Systems LLC in Ann Arbor.. Ellis developed Incident Command and its flagship product, Laptop PAR, to help first responders conduct personnel accountability reports at the scene of an emergency. Ellis then wanted to integrate wireless components into the system so he co-founded ERT Systems, a partnership between Cimulus Software and Incident Command Technologies, which developed the OnSite ERT product – a wireless, automatic resource tracking system that allows emergency responders to track personnel and equipment on the scene and in real time. Ellis conducts demonstrations of OnSite ERT and develops and cultivates relationships with management-level personnel in emergency response organizations in order to assist them in the evaluation and further enhancement of the product. He has more than 25 years of experience in the first responder field. The OnSite ERT system is used by several Michigan fire departments and by the Macomb County Emergency Services Training Center for its live-burn building. The system is listed in the Department of Homeland Security’s Responder Knowledge Base, an online database of products available to responders under grant purchase. Ellis served on the Macomb County Fire Chiefs executive board for four years, the last year as President. He was also a member of the County Mutual-Aid Committee and participated in several full-scale mock disasters as an evaluator of the Incident Command System.


WHERE BORN: "Detroit."

MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSONS: "My mother, who always emphasized treating people the way you want to be treated and to work hard at everything that is important to you. She is the reason my family is my number one priority."

LAST BOOK READ: "From Good to Great by Jim Collins. It stresses leadership and putting personal egos aside and putting business and product first with the right people in place. Coming from public safety and not business, it’s a very good book."

WORDS THAT DESCRIBE ME: "Family, dedicated and driven, trustworthy."

WHERE MY FIELD/INDUSTRY IS HEADED: "The emergency-response profession is changing drastically because of the way the world has changed. Not just because of terrorism, but from everything, including dangerous chemicals being transported across our railways and highways, to natural disasters, to air bags in cars. All these things are changing the way we have to respond to emergencies. Emergency response is dangerous. The old days of each department having its own little dynasty are gone. There are initiatives at the federal and state level emphasizing the need for mutual-aid and regional response capabilities. Departments are being required to train and respond to emergencies together. Although these initiatives increase the number of personnel and equipment that respond, it also makes it much more difficult for supervisory personnel to control these scenes. The proper handling and deployment of these resources are critical to scene safety and operational success. This is where OnSite ERT can make a difference. It allows commanders to properly deploy resources, resulting in increased safety for the responders and increased efficiency that will result in more citizen lives being saved."

FAVORITE TECHNOLOGICAL GADGET: "BlackBerry. You get tied to these things. I depend on it quite a bit."

FAVORITE PLACE: "Anywhere on the water. I own a boat and love being on the water."

FAVORITE HOBBY: "Boating with my family and hockey with my kids."

FAVORITE FOOD: "Chicken fajita sticks from Carlos, a local restaurant."

MY HIDDEN TALENT: "I enjoy cooking."

HOW I WANT TO BE REMEMBERED: "As a great person, as the father who provided the best he could for his family and who tried to make a difference in the lives of a special group of people [emergency responders]."

Grant Thornton Website At the annual awards reception in April 2014, one Leader & Innovator from the previous 12 months will be selected as the Grant Thornton Leader & Innovator of the Year.