Michael DeCraene is a Firefighter with the City of St. Clair Shores, a Rescue Squad Officer for both Michigan Task Force 1 and Macomb County Technical Rescue Team. Mike is certified as a fire instructor by the State of Michigan and the Michigan Urban Search And Rescue Training Foundation, holds his SPRAT ticket, and has conducted numerous trainings in multiple fire and rescue disciplines in various states and Canada.

Mike's interest in rope, knotcraft, and rigging began at a young age as an angler with his father & brother, who are both career firefighters, on Michigan's Great Lakes. Before entering the fire service with the City of Ann Arbor, Mike worked in the outdoor industry at a gear shop outfitting climbers, mountaineers, backpackers, kayakers, and the occasional arborist with tools and equipment. Initially assigned to a Rescue Company with AAFD, he diligently sought out instruction from those with knowledge, skills, and abilities in the technical rescue fields, always enjoying 'on rope' endeavors the most.

In 2013, then with SCSFD, Mike began to study with RTR under Chief Reed Thorne when he came to Michigan to teach an AHD workshop. This experience opened his eyes to advanced rigging practices and he began to make regular trips to Arizona for classes. It was in 2016 when RTR asked Mike to come on as an Assistant Instructor.

When asked about the RTR paradigm, Mike replied: "The courses are packed with volumes of information intended to take the rope practitioner to a whole new level of skill and understanding. Through advanced knotcraft, thorough critical analysis training, and loads of practical application, students leave the immersive experience being able to problem solve effectively and engineer systems as team leaders in environments they would have never thought possible."

From a recent student:

I attended the recent Personal Skills Rescue Workshop in Michigan. The PSRW went very well and was probably my most favorite technical rescue class yet. I would like to say that Michael DeCraene is an excellent instructor. He is master of his craft, but what really sets him apart from other instructors is his patience, enthusiasm, and genuine interest in the success of his students. He makes a 12 hour class day enjoyable and the students look forward to class the next day. None of the students wanted the class to be over even after 7 days. Good work. I am looking forward to my next RTR class. 

Respectfully,

Jeff Schulz
Lieutenant 
City of Ypsilanti Fire Department
Squad Officer 
Washtenaw County Technical Rescue