About Us

• About VRS
• Who We Are
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Who We Are

	Tom Wood Tom Wood is the Training Manager for Vertical Rescue Solutions by PMI®. An 11-year veteran of the Alpine Rescue Team in Evergreen, Colorado, he has served as the team’s New Member Director, Equipment Director and ATV Director. During the Columbia Shuttle Recovery Effort in 2003, he served as a division SAR superintendant. Tom is a Level II Avalanche Technician and HeloTech II. He is also a certified tower climber, SPRAT Level 2 certified and an IRATA certified Rope Access Technician. A past presenter for the Mountain Rescue Association, National Association of Search and Rescue, International Technical Rescue Symposium (ITRS) and the Colorado Search and Rescue Board, Tom is also certified in CPR for the Healthcare Provider and First Responder. An industrial work and rescue at height Instructor for Vertical Rescue Solutions by PMI, Tom comes from a commercial and residential construction background, and he learned firsthand the importance of jobsite safety compliance while serving as a Safety Manager. A 1990 graduate of Kent State University’s Photojournalism program, Tom also served as a Combat Photographer for the United States Marine Corps Reserves for six years. His extracurricular activities include mountaineering, writing, ice climbing, rock climbing, caving and trail running.
	Loui McCurley Loui McCurley brings over 20 years of Technical Rescue experience to the fall protection world. Specializing in rapid, small-team techniques adapted to specialized industrial and wind energy environments, Loui consults to several life-safety oriented standards-setting organizations including ANSI Z359, NFPA, ASTM, ISO, FEMA/NIMS, Cordage Institute, and others. A frequent presenter and instructor, Loui has authored numerous articles and texts on the subject of safety at height and rescue, with contributions to High Angle Rescue Techniques, Wilderness Medicine, Occupational Health and Safety, and Fire-Rescue. Loui presently serves as Vice-President of Pigeon Mountain Industries and as the Director and an instructor for Vertical Rescue Solutions. Loui is SPRAT Level 2 certified and as a fifteen-plus year veteran of the Alpine Rescue Team, Loui uses her thorough knowledge of both technical systems and standards to make work and rescue at height instruction as safe as possible.
	Steve Hudson Steve Hudson is a founder and the President of Pigeon Mountain Industries, Inc (PMI). a leading manufacturer of life safety ropes and equipment for 34 years. He is co-author of High Angle Rope Techniques as well as other rope access and rescue related publications. He is active on ASTM’s F32 Search and Rescue Committee, NFPA’s Technical Rescue Committee and NFPA’s Committee on Special Operations Protective Clothing and Equipment, all of which are actively setting standards for rope technician equipment and/or training. Steve is Deputy Director of Walker County Emergency Management which oversees the county’s 911, Fire, and Emergency Services including the cave and cliff rescue team. Steve has served both as a National Cave Rescue Commission Regional and National Coordinator in the past and is presently the NCRC National Training Coordinator. He has taught at over 29 NCRC weeklong seminars and edited the first two editions of the NCRC Manual of Cave Rescue Techniques.
	Bob McCurley Bob McCurley brings a background in physics and engineering to the work of Vertical Rescue Solutions. After serving in the Air Force, Bob received a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics. He has spent much of his career in aerospace and defense, and has a great deal of experience in training and adult-education. Bob has been actively engaged in safety and rescue for work at height since 2001. He has experience as a firefighter and is a certified rope access technician. Bob presently volunteers in mountain rescue with the Alpine Rescue Team in Evergreen, Colorado. Bob has received training in industrial fall protection, tower climbing and rescue techniques, PPE inspection, and work and rescue at height, including training received at England’s National Access and Rescue Center (NARC) in Kendall. He is certified in CPR for the Healthcare Provider and First Responder, and maintains Outdoor Emergency Care (OEC) certification from the National Ski Patrol. He continues to have an interest in the technical aspect of rescue gear, conducting testing and consulting in design for various components.