EMT Instructors
Fire Captain Robert Morris has been in public safety for over 40 years. During his career he worked as an Ocean Lifeguard, Wildland Fire Fighter and Structure Fire Fighter, retiring in the Fall of 2010. Captain Morris took his first EMT course in 1982 completing the fire academy pre-requisites in 1983.
In the Fall of 1983 he attended the 50th Fire Academy at Santa Ana College and received a degree in Fire Science. He also received his Paramedic Certificate in 1990 from Saddleback College. Mr. Morris began teaching in 1999 at the request of a fellow colleague who ran the fire science program at Central County ROP as a last minute substitute. “After teaching my first class I was hooked as an educator, providing guidance and emergency medicine technician skills to young students.” For the next 21 years he has worked teaching Fire Tech and EMT courses. He began Full-Time teaching at Oxnard College in August 2013 where he is presently a Tenured full-time faculty EMT instructor.
He and his significant other have seven children and 11 grandchildren. They enjoy spending as much time as possible with family. His hobbies include camping, boating both on the Ocean and at the river, concerts and being outdoors with the latest addition to the family, their 2-year-old Labrador retriever, Rhiver.
Dave Latham started his EMS career in 1985 after completing the EMT Program at College of the Canyons in Valencia. He went on to work at Ojai Ambulance (now Lifeline) from 1985-1986. He wanted to do more for his patients, so he applied to The UC San Diego EMSTO Paramedic Training Program. After graduation in 1987, Dave worked for the City of San Diego Paramedic Services contract. Dave then got hired by the Ramona Fire District in San Diego County in 1989 as a Firefighter/Paramedic. He started with CAL Fire in 1993 through a contract between Ramona and CAL Fire. He promoted to Engineer/Paramedic in 1996 and continued to work for CAL Fire in the Ramona Fire contract. Dave promoted to Fire Captain B in 2000 and worked at the Ventura Fire Conservation Camp running a Type I Handcrew. In 2002, Dave transferred to San Luis Obispo Unit as a Fire Captain/Paramedic and worked in the San Luis Obispo County Fire Department contract at Station 22 serving the Nipomo Mesa. In 2018, Dave transferred to the New Ventura Training Center and was the Training Coordinator for the CAL Fire Wildland Firefighter Academy until his retirement in November of 2020. During his career, Dave had assignments as a Paramedic, Continuing Education Coordinator, EMS Coordinator, Flammable and Combustible Liquids Inspector, Qualified Division Supervisor, and Medical Unit Leader.
Mr. Christopher Connolly is the EMT Instructional Lab Technician. In his previous role with the Ventura County Community College District, Mr. Connolly taught Spanish language for 20 years. He holds a BA from UCSD and a Master’s degree from Middlebury College, both in Spanish Literature.
Mr. Connolly’s first year as an ocean lifeguard was 1990 for the California State Parks. He is still an active lifeguard today. A graduate of the Oxnard College Regional Fire Academy, Mr. Connolly served as a volunteer firefighter for several years for the City of Fillmore and the Morongo Valley Fire Dept. Mr. Connolly is a recipient of the United States Lifesaving Assoc. Medal of Valor (2016) and the California Governor’s Medal of Valor awarded by Governor Jerry Brown (2017).
