David J. Pacheco, AIA, who is an elected fire commissioner, is director of operations, senior architect, vice president and partner at H2M architects + engineers. An adjunct professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, his broad leadership experience and design expertise has enabled him to knowledgeably write, teach and counsel on all aspects of emergency response architecture. He is NCARB certified, licensed in 10 United States jurisdictions and is a local director of the American Institute of Architects. He has been a juror for national fire station design awards and serves on the ASTM E54 Committee on Homeland Security Applications.