New Use Energy Solutions is pleased to announce that Richard Birt joins the organization today as the Vice President of Business Development for Emergency Management.
“Richard has tremendous drive to support fellow first responders, has a passion for solar and an amazing network,” said NUE CEO Paul Shmotolokha. “His involvement in product development will be crucial as he brings year of experience in the field to our team. He’s super fun to be around too!”
Birt retired January 2021 from Las Vegas Fire and Rescue after a 30-year career in the fire service. A long-time advocate of renewable energy, Captain Birt was instrumental in the fight to keep the solar industry alive in Nevada. Captain Birt is also the founder of Solar And Fire Education (S.A.F.E.) which provides free training to firefighters across the country. The mission of S.A.F.E. is to teach firefighters how to safely mitigate a residential structure fire involving solar panels and batteries and how renewable energy can help communities across the country become more resilient to power outages caused by grid failures.
Birt also spearheaded a disaster relief effort in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. The mission resulted in the installation of 15 microgrids on strategically placed fire stations across the island. These microgrids enabled the emergency services to stay operational and save countless lives even after the complete destruction of Puerto Rico’s electrical grid. He was awarded the Medal of Honor from his fire department for his work in Puerto Rico and continues his disaster relief work as a technical advisor for the non-profits Solar Responders and Empowered by Light.