Staff Biographies
Garland Waldrop, B.S.
Director, Fire Marshal
Garland shares his extensive background in fire protection with the university by serving as fire marshal and director of Fire Prevention Services. His career in fire protection began in the Houston Fire Department where he gained valuable experience in both fire suppression and administration, and retired at the rank of captain after 22 years.
After retiring from the Houston Fire Department, Garland joined Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, where he was the fire prevention manager for eight years. He then served as the fire safety manager for The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston for four years before assuming his position with The University of Texas at Austin.
Garland holds a bachelor’s degree in education, and commits himself to making the university environment safe through fire prevention and safety education. When working on educational fire safety initiatives, he draws upon his experience from instructing at the junior college level while serving as an adjunct faculty member.
Waymon Jackson, P.E.
Assistant Fire Marshal
Waymon has over 25 years of experience in life safety and fire protection, and is licensed by the Texas Board of Professional Engineers as a fire protection engineer. He has worked in many different areas of the field, and gained valuable experience holding such varied positions as fire alarm contractor, plan reviewer for the city of Fort Worth, and consulting engineer for a fire and life safety engineering firm.
Prior to joining the university, Waymon worked with a number of distinguished firms including Westinghouse, Grinnell Fire Protection Systems, Wormald Fire Systems, Bechtel Savannah River, Carter & Burgess, and Schirmer Engineering. He first joined the university as the supervisor of the Fire Safety Systems shop, and now serves the campus community by performing plan review and code consulting in his current position as a fire protection engineer for the Fire Prevention Services office.
Karl Shrader, P.E.*
Safety Specialist IV
Karl holds an engineering degree from Virginia Tech, and is a licensed professional engineer in the state of Virginia. Prior to joining the university, he served 25 years as a project manager with the Fluor Corporation, one of the world’s largest engineering and construction firms.
Since joining the university in 2005, Karl has been a vital part of our fire prevention team. In his current position, he supervises plan review for new construction and renovation projects, and works with Facilities Services to develop compliance programs for existing buildings on campus.
* Licensed Professional Engineer in the Commonwealth of Virginia
Robert Schultz, P.E.
Fire Protection Engineer
Robert earned a degree in engineering from The University of Texas at Austin, and holds a number of professional certifications. He is licensed by the Texas Board of Professional Engineers as a fire protection engineer, and is certified through the National Fire Protection Association as a fire inspector, fire plan examiner, and certified fire protection specialist. He is also certified through the International Code Council as a building plans examiner and commercial building inspector.
Robert is a member of the National Fire Protection Association Technical Committee on Automotive and Marine Service Stations (NFPA 30A) and is a former president of the Austin/San Antonio Chapter of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers. He currently serves the university as a fire protection engineer, performing plan review for the Fire Prevention Services office.
Roosevelt C. Easley, B.S.
Fire Safety Specialist II
Before joining the university, Roosevelt served as a firefighter in both the Air Force and the Department of Defense. He retired after a 20-year career with the Air Force and was employed with the Department of Defense for seven years as an assistant fire chief. He is certified by the National Fire Protection Association as a fire inspector and plan examiner, and is also a member of the Austin/San Antonio Chapter of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers.
Roosevelt has worked to build a professional rapport between Fire Prevention Services and the university community since becoming a part of our team. During his tenure with us he has developed fire and life safety presentations that have benefited all members of the university. In his current position he also assists in scheduling fire extinguisher training, monitors emergency evacuation drills, issues work assignments, and responds to customer service requests.
Francisco “Paco” Gutierrez
Fire Safety Specialist
Paco joined the university in 1991, and has been a member of the Fire Prevention Services team since 2002. Prior to working with FPS, he was with the Office of Environmental Health and Safety in a variety of departments including Asbestos Safety, Hazardous Materials Safety, and Radiation Safety, giving him a diverse background in the field.
In his current position, Paco serves the university by inspecting campus facilities for compliance with the Life Safety Code, as well as assisting with fire extinguisher training, monitoring emergency evacuation drills, and responding to customer service requests. He is also a volunteer firefighter and has been with the Pflugerville Fire Department for many years. In addition, he is certified by the state of Texas as an asbestos inspector, asbestos project manager, and asbestos air monitor technician, and is trained and certified to respond to emergency incidents involving hazardous materials.
Rick Trevino
Fire Safety Specialist
Rick has been with the Fire Prevention Services office since joining the university in 1989. Prior to his career at the university, Rick worked with a fire protection company inspecting, testing, and servicing portable and fixed fire-extinguishing systems. He received certification from the Texas Commission on Fire Protection as a fire safety technician and has maintained this certification throughout his time with us. He is also certified by the National Fire Protection Association as a fire inspector.
Perhaps Rick’s most important assignment at the university is monitoring the spectacular firework display immediately following each year’s commencement ceremony. He is fully trained and experienced in working with pyrotechnics, and is responsible for approving and monitoring firework displays on campus. He also assists with fire extinguisher training and monitoring emergency evacuation drills, and responds to customer service requests.
