Red Grasso is the Director of the First Responder Emerging Technologies (FirstTech) Program at the State of North Carolina. After serving in AmeriCorps, he spent a decade as a firefighter in North Carolina before moving into the technologies and working to deploy a regional P25 radio system in Missouri. Focusing on public safety communications, he has served in many roles at different levels of government including disaster response at the local, state, and federal levels. His bachelor’s degree is in Emergency and Disaster Management and is a graduate of the Community Preparedness and Disaster Management program at UNC-CH. Red is also responsible for the communications system at the annual Burning Man event in Nevada.