Eddie Chapa has two complimentary roles: he is a Chief Instructor, teaching primarily industrial teams and drawing on his deep experience in the oil and gas environment. Simultaneously, he is also a key member of our industrial business development team. When he’s not traveling across the country teaching industrial training courses in fall protection, confined space rescue, rope and high angle rescue, and trench rescue, he is drawing on his past experience in industry to help meet the needs of plant managers and identify solutions that help keep industrial teams safe and up-to-speed on their training.

Eddie started his career as a Paratrooper in the U.S. Army before transitioning to work as Operations Lead for BP Offshore in Houston, Texas. In that role he trained and led a 15-member fire brigade and rescue team. He first encountered Roco Rescue during his time at BP while he was conducting research on the best emergency response rescue training programs. Eddie and his BP colleagues trained with Roco Rescue in 2002 and, just over one year later, Eddie joined Roco Rescue as a part-time instructor. He became a full-time Roco Rescue employee in 2015 when he retired from BP.

In addition to his expertise in a wide variety of technical rescue disciplines, Eddie has also completed training in MEM (Major Emergencies Management) and Helicopter Underwater Escape training. He resides just outside of Houston, Texas, with his wife and three children.

As Director of CSRT (Contracted Safety and Rescue Team) Logistics, Devin is in charge of fleet and equipment management for Roco’s standby rescue services division. This includes planning for all jobs to cover the technical equipment needs, trucks, trailers, boats and other specialized personal protection equipment for the crews. Devin is responsible for inventory control and equipment maintenance to ensure that all gear is operational and ready to go. He also represents Roco Rescue at industry events and trade shows, and when the need arises he fills in as on-site Crew Chief on standby rescue jobs. He has worked with Roco Rescue’s Services Teams since 2006.

Devin started his career in rescue as a volunteer firefighter in Zachary, Louisiana. He joined Roco Rescue on a referral from his twin brother, Denver, and worked in a part-time capacity until 2006, at which point he joined the company full-time.

Aside from being a certified first responder, Devin is a Certified Occupational Safety Specialist (COSS). He and his family reside just outside of Baton Rouge, not far from where he was born and raised. Devin, like his brother, was a standout wrestler in high school. Today, he enjoys offshore fishing and hunting with his brothers, and spending time with his wife and young son.

In his current role as CSRT Planning & Operations Director, Denver Payne is responsible for managing more than 70 full-time and part-time standby rescue team members. His duties include staffing and scheduling jobs, managing employee certifications, and screening new hires. He has worked on the standby services (aka CSRT or Contracted Safety and Rescue Teams) side of the business, initially as a standby rescue crew member, since 2006.

Denver started his career as a volunteer firefighter in Zachary, Louisiana. He learned about Roco Rescue through a fellow municipal firefighter. His career with Roco began with a part-time role in the warehouse, where he handled equipment shipping and inventory control. In 2006, he left the Zachary Fire Department to join Roco Rescue full-time; and, in 2015, he became a CSRT Crew Chief. His most recent promotion to Planning & Ops Director came in 2019.

Aside from his background as a firefighter and first responder, Denver is a Certified Occupational Safety Specialist (COSS). He and his family reside in Baton Rouge, near where he was born and raised. He began wrestling at age 11, and was a two-time state champion in high school. Today, Denver loves to travel and experience new places. He also loves spending time with his family and especially his wife and young daughter.

Carroll Campbell is one of Roco Rescue’s foundational team members. Having worked alongside the company’s co-founders since its inception in 1982, he helped Roco Rescue grow from a small, start-up business to the global leader in rescue that it is today. Carroll most recently served as Administrative Advisor and as Customer Relations Director for the Roco Training Center, ensuring that the thousands of students who pass through the company’s state-of-the-art training center each year have the best training experience possible, preparing them for rescue scenarios in facilities around the world.

Carroll previously worked full-time for the Baton Rouge Fire Department while also instructing part-time for Roco Rescue. He retired from the BRFD after 31 years of service and is currently the Fire Chief for the Brownsfield Fire Protection District. He joined Roco Rescue full-time in 2000, and since then, has continued to successfully balance his role as Fire Chief with his role at Roco Rescue.

Carroll is a certified firefighter and a certified industrial fire chief. This past year, he was also named the Adjunct Instructor of the Year at Louisiana State University. He lives in Baton Rouge, where he and his family have resided for more than sixty years.

Ish Antonio manages Roco Rescue’s tactical training programs. He oversees the development of the program as a whole and he is one of the primary instructors, teaching courses throughout the United States with an emphasis on FBI and Navy Seal training. He has been involved in Roco Rescue’s tactical training program since 2001, when he helped launch of the company’s very first tactical training course.

Ish started his career in rescue with the United States Air Force’s Pararescuemen (PJs) and served his country in this capacity for twenty years. While stationed in New Mexico in 1994, Ish accepted a part-time opportunity with Roco Rescue as an instructor. The training was primarily for a customer in high-tech manufacturing, but it nonetheless leveraged some of Ish’s technical know-how from the PJs. After six years working on the industrial side, Ish moved to the tactical training side, where he has remained ever since.

Since Ish has been with Roco Rescue, the company has been recognized as a leading expert in tactical rescue and as a proclaimed confined space training expert for the Department of Defense.

Ish lives in New Mexico with his wife, and whenever an opportunity arises, they enjoy visiting their three adult children and four grandchildren.

As Roco Rescue’s Director of Training, Chris Carlsen is responsible for all aspects of the training segment of the business. At a high level, Chris’ focus is on ensuring that Roco’s courses meet customer needs and exceed their expectations. Chris oversees the development and evolution of the entire curriculum, and is also charged with making sure Roco courses are taught by a world-class team of instructors.

In order to accomplish this, his duties include regular assessment of the rescue techniques being taught to make sure they incorporate the latest best-practices and are in line with Roco’s “keep it safe and simple” philosophy, and that they are compliant with relevant standards and regulations. Similarly, Chris oversees evaluations of new equipment and determines what equipment will be included in Roco’s curriculum. Chris’ role also requires that he keep in close contact with clients to understand their training goals.

Chris was previously a Chief Instructor for Roco Rescue, serving in that capacity since 2012. Prior to that, he was an instructor and a standby rescue team member dating back to 2004. Up until his appointment as Director of Training in 2020, Chris worked full-time for Albuquerque Fire Rescue, achieving the rank of lieutenant and  serving as Technical Rescue Program Manager, where he oversaw a broad range of training sub-specialties for the department’s varied technical rescue needs.

Chris is a self-proclaimed “technical rescue geek.” In addition to graduating from the National Fire Academy’s Special Operations Program Management course, he also is SPRAT Level II certified, an ITRA qualified instructor and assessor,  technical rescue trainer for a National Lab, and has taught fire science at Central New Mexico Community College.

Chris lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with his wife and two teenage daughters.

As vice president of Roco Rescue, Aimee Sims has many responsibilities and decisions to make on a daily basis. In addition to corporate oversight, Aimee routinely represents Roco on various business transactions including banking, insurance and facilities management. A big part of Aimee’s time is spent interacting with customers (and potential customers) who are interested in Roco’s training programs. She discusses the various training options and helps get the customer to the right course.

Aimee’s background in industrial fire and safety sales has been a tremendous asset to Roco. She draws on her past experience as she handles Roco’s private training course coordination, proposals and oversight of billing. However, Aimee states, “The most rewarding part of my job is hearing from students/clients after a Roco course – and especially if the team has performed a real rescue! We get as excited as they do! And this is all because of our incredible instructors.”

She adds, “It’s also a real pleasure to read all the student course evaluations – that’s something that never gets old – hearing how much they got out of the class and how passionate our instructors are. After all, Roco’s mission is all about teaching students to save lives. It’s our job to help rescue teams everywhere get the best training in order to save lives in a safe and efficient way.” Aimee adds, “We are very serious about our Roco motto, ‘There’s a safe way and a safer way!’ and we do this with honesty and integrity – it’s not just a job, it’s a way of life for us.”

As mentioned, Aimee’s rescue industry roots run deep. She worked at a fire and safety equipment supplier for 15 years prior to joining Roco in 1990. In fact, this is where Aimee met Kay Goodwyn, and they became instant friends. Because of their friendship as well as their shared work history, Roco seemed the perfect fit for Aimee. At that time (1990), Aimee joined Roco as an inside sales representative. She continued her long-standing working relationships with fire and rescue teams from local industry and municipal departments. This soon expanded to a nation-wide basis.

A Louisiana native, Aimee was born and raised in Baton Rouge. Currently, she and her husband reside in Prairieville, a suburb of Baton Rouge. Aimee loves traveling – especially to their lake house on Toledo Bend Lake. She also enjoys getting together with family and friends, cooking and entertaining, and cheering for the LSU Tigers. According to Aimee, Roco has provided some wonderful travel opportunities when attending tradeshows across the nation. She even “volunteers” to work the Hawaii Fire Chiefs Conference each year – now that’s dedication!

When asked what the Roco mission means to her, Aimee says, “It’s all about serving emergency responders and our industrial customers – providing them with the highest level of rescue training, rescue services and rescue equipment.” She adds, “And we see this modeled each day by our company president, Kay Goodwyn, who loves and cares for each and every one of us as a family. Again, Roco is much more than a job, it’s our life.”

An East Texas native, Kay Goodwyn has served as Roco Rescue’s President/CEO since the early 1990’s. She has been the owner of the company since 2001. As CEO, Kay oversees all aspects of the company’s operations, with the help of a full-time staff of more than 30, and approximately 150 instructors and standby rescue service personnel.  

Prior to joining Roco Rescue, Kay worked for the Beaumont Fire Department for eight years. Originally a clerical staffer, she worked her way up to a Grade 1 Firefighter – the first and only female firefighter in the city at that time. She served in this capacity and later as Administrative Assistant to the Fire Chief before relocating to Baton Rouge and joining Roco Rescue’s staff. 

Under her leadership, Roco Rescue has grown in size and scope and solidified a reputation for the highest quality training and service. Kay works primarily out of the corporate office in Baton Rouge, her home of more than 30 years.  

As CFO, Cindy oversees all corporate finance and accounting-related activities. This includes leading the team that processes all the financial transactions, from purchase orders and paychecks to customer invoices. Cindy ensures that the books are in order and that the company has adequate liquidity. She provides reporting and guidance on financial matters that ensures the overall health and vitality of the organization. 

Cindy also provides the vision, develops the design, and implements the plan for the company’s information systems, drawing on her experience in a past life as an IT consultant and systems integrator. She is particularly passionate about automation and driving efficiencies, helping to eliminate mundane tasks which allows the staff to focus on the more specific needs of the Roco customers.  

Prior to joining Roco Rescue in 2001, she worked as an IT consultant helping a variety of businesses manage the complexities of their operations with IT solutions. Roco was one of her customers in this role. She has also worked for a bank and an oil & gas company, where in both cases she helped them streamline their business processes, navigate periods of transformation, implement new solutions, and install tools to manage the synthesis of technology.   

Born in New Orleans, Cindy moved to Baton Rouge as a child and has made the city her home.  Her family is her greatest blessing and she enjoys spending all her free time with her loved ones. She is married and has three daughters. Her oldest daughter owns a dance studio and her two younger daughters are active in competitive cheerleading. Cindy spends much of her spare time away from work traveling to competitions and recitals to cheer them on. In her even less spare time, she enjoys sewing, working out and is active in her church.  

Chad Roberson is a long-time Chief Instructor, having served in that capacity since 2007. For most of 2019, Chad stepped up to serve in an interim capacity in the very-important and highly visible Director of Training role, leveraging his leadership skills during a time of transition and helping maintain a high-caliber training experience for all Roco students. Prior to becoming a Chief Instructor, he was an Instructor for six years, and he has served on Roco’s standby services teams since 1998.

Chad is also an Assistant Chief at the St. George Fire Protection District in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. His dad was a firefighter, and Chad started working as a volunteer firefighter at age 16. Upon graduating from Louisiana State University, he was hired as a full-time firefighter. Throughout the years, Chad worked his way up to becoming Captain, District Chief, and finally Assistant Chief. Currently, he manages special operations for the District.

Chad is trained extensively in executive leadership and planning, special operations, hazardous materials management, and more. He holds a B.A. in History and an associate degree in Fire Science from Louisiana State University and a Masters in Executive Fire Service Leadership from Grand Canyon University. He holds a COSS (Certified Occupational Safety Specialist) certification and a CFO (Chief Fire Officer) designation. He is a National Registered EMT and is certified by the American Heart Association in Basic Life Support.

Chad lives and works in Baton Rouge where he enjoys coaching his two sons in youth sports, and travelling with them during school breaks. He attends St. Jude Catholic Church in Baton Rouge, and he is a big fan of the LSU Tigers.

Alex’s role as Chief Administrative Officer requires that he be part visionary, collaborating with owner and President Kay Goodwyn to map out the long-term strategic direction of the company, and part air-traffic controller, working to ensure that other company leaders receive the support and resources they need to put that vision into action.  

Before taking on this role, Alex was Roco Rescue’s point person for proposals and contracts as well as being deeply involved in both financial administration and human resources. In addition, he also taught tactical rescue courses, primarily to Department of Defense and other federal government customers.  

Prior to joining Roco Rescue, Alex served as  a Pararescueman (PJ) in the U.S. Air Force for six years. While in the PJs, he took courses with Roco Rescue, and it was in these courses that he discovered a passion for technical rescue that eventually led him to become an instructor. He has been with Roco Rescue full-time since 2010. 

Alex splits his time outside the office between Maine and Florida, where he enjoys being outdoors with his wife and two young sons.