Harper fire science professor honored

Professor Sam Giordano has once again been recognized as one of the best in the business. Giordano, who heads up Harper's Fire Science Technology program, was named one of the Top 15 Arson Investigation Professors by ForensicColleges.com.

The site provides the latest information on colleges throughout the U.S. offering forensics programs. The site considered criteria in creating the list including reputable fire science programs, a professor's field experience and contributions to arson investigation research. While arson investigation is hardly a new field, training that was once done mostly on the job has shifted toward more formal, academic training investigative procedures and fire science, according to ForensicColleges.com.

Other professors in the group hail from institutions including the University of Maryland, University of Missouri-Columbia and University of Cincinnati.

Giordano began his career with the Frankfort Fire Protection District in 1974, and started the department's first paramedic program about a decade later. He also served as fire officer and EMS director with the Argonne Fire Department and worked as director of training andsafety with other departments.

Since joining Harper's faculty in 2002, Giordano launched the Public Safety Dispatcher and Emergency and Disaster Management programs. Last year, he was named one of the Top 14 fire instructors in the Midwest for 2013 by FireScience.org, a nonprofit that set out to highlight educators who have made a mark in the classroom, on campus or in the community.

"I used to believe that fighting fires was my calling, and at the time I am sure it was," Giordano said. "Now I realize my calling is to teach others to fight fires."

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