Troy Gardner teaches a wide variety of technical rescue courses in his role as a Chief Instructor – a position he’s held since 2008. He is qualified in multiple areas including rope rescue, confined space, trench rescue, structural collapse, vehicle extrication and hazmat. He teaches primarily industrial and municipal courses and recently began helping lead Roco’s Instructor Development Course.

Troy’s work as a firefighter with the Bossier City Fire Department in northwestern Louisiana introduced him to technical rescue back in the mid-1990s, when he was selected as one of the original team members for the special operations rescue team. As a member of that team, he routinely volunteered to offer any assistance in training sessions when it came to rope rescue or confined space skills. He also served as the department’s Safety Officer for four years. He retired from the fire department in 2017 after a 25-year career. For the last 11 years of his career as a firefighter, Troy worked concurrently as a Roco Rescue Chief Instructor during his off-shifts and on vacation time.

Prior to joining the fire service, Troy served in the U.S. Marine Corps, including a 9-month tour in the Middle East during Operation Desert Storm/Shield.

Troy is from Bossier City, Louisiana, and in his free time he loves to be outdoors. A few of his favorite activities are skiing, golfing, hunting, and going to the lake with friends. He and his wife love going to any beach that will allow them to scuba dive. They also love travelling to new places and are both motorcycle enthusiasts who love to be together on the open road on their Harley-Davidson motorcycle.