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William L. Fritz
Will Fritz is a native of Southwestern Virginia, where he and his family reside today. He began his career in public service as a volunteer firefighter in his community and quickly realized his need for emergency medical training, so he became certified in CPR and First Aid. While in high school, Will became certified as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and developed an immediate respect and appreciation for emergency services. Following graduation from high school, he attended Virginia Highlands Community College and graduated with an associate’s degree in criminal justice.
While attending VHCC, he began his first professional position as an EMT with a local ambulance company. Immediately following his graduation from VHCC, Will attended paramedic school through a local healthcare system and became certified, licensed and nationally registered as a paramedic, which is the highest level of pre-hospital emergency medical training available in the United States. In 1996 he accepted a position with the City of Bristol, Tennessee Fire Department as a professional firefighter/paramedic. He held that position for 4 years where he developed a keen sense of public-safety awareness and honed his professional skills.
In 2000, Will accepted a position with the Southwest Virginia Emergency Medical Services Council as a Field and Training Coordinator, and during his employment there he acquired instructorships in several emergency services and public service disciplines. In addition, he met many goals and affected many changes to the EMS system in Southwestern Virginia in the sixteen counties and cities for which he accepted responsibility. Additionally he assisted with the garnering of thousands of dollars in grant funding to the region and managed a highly respected and successful training organization, which served the EMS and public safety community. To further his original goal of working in law enforcement, he accepted a position with the Commonwealth of Virginia in 2004 where he has served in the capacities of compliance and safety officer, investigator, and regional manager where he currently supervises a field staff in the western and piedmont regions of Virginia.
In 2005, Will decided to further his education by attending Virginia Intermont College where he earned a B.S. degree in management and leadership in 2007, and in 2009 he completed his master of business administration (MBA) degree from Milligan College. He has served as an adjunct instructor in the Virginia Community College system and has instructed hundreds of hours in public safety, emergency services and health. He is an accomplished flight paramedic with Wings Air Rescue, which is an ultimate goal of many EMS professionals, and was honored to be selected as one of only five testing representatives in the Commonwealth who are authorized to administer the National Registry Paramedic examination. He spends several hours each year providing CPR, first-aid and other safety classes to his peers, other professionals, and to the public.
Will has a passion for teaching and makes every attempt to keep his classes structured and enjoyable. With his well-rounded education, experience and true desire to help others learn, Virginia Justice and Safety Associates is excited that he has joined our team of associates to manage our emergency medical training program, and are pleased to extend to you the additional courses from within the public safety division.
James L. Hartlage
Jim Hartlage is a native of Southern Ohio, where growing up he became an avid outdoorsman and soon to be expert on both the historical and modern aspects of firearms. Jim received his undergraduate degree from Marshall University in 1971 and his master’s degree from Duke University in 1974. At this time he began his career as an enforcement officer for the Commonwealth of Virginia and was ultimately promoted to investigator. Throughout his career he assisted the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency investigating various complex cases.
In the 1980’s Jim became a Hunter Education Instructor with the Virginia Dept. of Game and Inland Fisheries and a 4-H Volunteer Leader in their Shooting Sports programs. He has earned instructor credentials in 5 different NRA disciplines, became the 4-H shooting team coach for Wythe County, achieved Senior and Master Instructor status as a Hunter Education Instructor, and served as the Hunter Ed Coordinator for Wythe County for over ten years. Jim is a member of the National Rifle Association, the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association, where he is a state representative, and the Virginia Muzzle Loading Rifle Association, where he is currently serving his third year as the State President. Upon retiring from the Commonwealth in 2007 he joined Virginia Justice and Safety Associates as an NRA firearms instructor and personal safety consultant in the public safety division.
Steve Smith
Steve Smith is a life-long resident of Central Virginia and has dedicated 23 years to law enforcement service where he has held the position of deputy sheriff, providing him with direct front-line experience. Steve has progressed from the ranks of road deputy to master deputy, and he is currently serving Albemarle County Sheriff’s Office. He has received numerous awards for exemplary service. In 1988, he received the Greene County Deputy of the Year Award, and he has been formally recognized for his efforts relating to Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program (VASAP) and DUI enforcement. Deputy Smith completed the Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) general instructor course, as well as their firearms instructor course. He has been directly involved with Project Life Saver as an instructor, is a former DARE instructor, is certified in search and rescue operations, and has dedicated a great deal of time to gang education, awareness, and prevention. Steve became an associate of Virginia Justice and Safety Associates in 2008 and currently assists with firearms training, crime prevention, and personal safety awareness courses within VJSA’s criminal justice and public safety divisions.
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