AED Essentials, Inc

At AED Essentials we offer CPR, First Aid, ACLS, PALS and AED training and equipment. We also offer maintenance on all new and existing AED units and AED supplies. Contact us today for more information or to set up a consultation!

Chad Callison

Owner - ACLS/PALS/BLS Instructor
Chad is currently a full-time firefighter with the City of Rockford and a retired flight nurse with OSF Aviation. He has served his community for 28 years in the emergency medical field. In 2003, he started AED Essentials, Inc. The passion to start the business was driven by his experiences in the field witnessing the lack of lay person CPR/First Aid. Since then, he and his staff have trained thousands of people in CPR, First Aid, Blood Borne Pathogens, Advanced Cardiac Life Support and Pediatric Life Support. Chad has been a mentor to EMS personnel since the beginning of his career.

Hanne Reiger

Office Manager - ACLS/PALS/BLS Instructor
Hanne Reiger has been in EMS since 1991. She started off in MN and then moved through WI before settling in the Rockford area. Hanne received her Paramedic License is 1997 and has worked full-time in EMS since then. Hanne has spent her career between ground transport, helicopter transport and management. . Hanne's current full-time position is Manager of the Critical Care Transport Program for Ridge Ambulance based out of Montgomery, IL. Hanne is a IL, WI and NREMT-P Licensed Paramedic. She is a Certified Critical Care Paramedic thought the UMBC. She has her FP-C certification from BCCTPC. She has certifications in PHTLS, NRP, HROB, TPATC and holds instructor certifications in PALS, ACLS and CPR through the American Heart Association. Hanne has two children, is married and has a unusual sense of humor that spices up any class she teaches. Hanne has been with AED Essentials since July 2015.

Phil Nedved

ACLS/PALS/BLS Instructor
Phil began his career in the fire service and EMS in 2004 with the Posen Fire Dept, a small south suburb of Chicago. Phil began with the Rockford Fire Dept full time in 2007, where he is a certified Paramedic and Firefighter III. Phil is certified through the State Fire Marshal as Instructor II along with other certifications in the fire service. He is also an instructor with American Heart Association in Basic Life Support CPR, Advanced Cardiac Life Support, and Pediatric Advanced Life Support. Phil is currently stationed on the west side of Rockford at Fire Station 6 where he is the senior firefighter and lead preceptor with paramedic students. Phil has taught with other organizations in the fire service and medical field. He is continuously learning as a student himself and as an educator. Phil has been with AED Essentials since March 2017.

Brooke Pearson

BLS Instructor
Brooke is currently obtaining her RN degree and will graduate in May 2023. She has been with AED Essentials since February of 2022. Brooke is not only our youngest BLS instructor but she is also the daughter of our Office Manager. Age is not a factor for Brooke, as the medical field is her calling, and with her witty sense of humor she brings that special twist of making learning fun, alive. Brooke is a very motivated, self-driven person, who is constantly learning from those around her. Brooke holds two other jobs besides AED Essentials, including her full-time Nursing Intern / CNA position at OSF St. Anthony’s Neuro, Trauma, Burn ICU, where she has been since 2020 and she is also a Barista at Blue Collar Coffee in Beloit, WI. Brooke does not have much free time but what time she does have you will most likely find her curled up with a good book, spending time with her girlfriend Anna, studying or sleeping.

Joe Hamblock

ACLS/PALS/BLS Instructor
Hello, my name is Joe Hamblock. My career in healthcare began in 2010 when I joined Northwest FD as a volunteer firefighter. In 2013 I became a full-time firefighter for the Rockford Fire Department and two years later became a certified Firefighter/Paramedic. In 2019 I began working at AED Essentials because I wanted an opportunity to help promote life saving techniques to both healthcare workers and non-healthcare workers. When I’m not teaching or working, I enjoy spending time with my wife, daughter, and my German Shepherd Tesla. I also enjoy playing sports and spending time outdoors.

Jennifer Parker

BLS Instructor
Jennifer is currently a Firefighter/EMT-B with the Rockford Fire Department and is currently working towards getting her Paramedic License. She has been with AED Essentials since 2019, teaching Basic Life Support and Heartsaver courses. Jennifer has two children and a husband that keep her very busy. In her free time, you can usually find her out hiking on trails, crafting, spending time with family...and channeling her inner Chip and Joanna Gaines.

Steve Rydholm

BLS Instructor
Steve was a full-time Firefighter /Paramedic for 28 years, retiring in 2019. He has worked with AED Essentials educating the community in CPR and First Aid for 5 years. He enjoys his free time skiing with his grandchildren. He also like boating although he is a horrible fisherman. His house is somewhat quiet now since it is just him and his wife (Julie). His 4 children have grown up and moved on. Steve has been with AED Essentials since May 2016.

Dan McMullen

ACLS/PALS/BLS Instructor
Daniel is currently a Firefighter/Paramedic with Rockford Fire Department. He has been teaching with AED Essentials, Inc. for almost two years and is currently working to expand his academic credentials within the company. Community and professional education have become a passion for Daniel, and he looks forward to increasing the community’s involvement in CPR. As a newlywed, Daniel is excited about the many personal and professional opportunities that await him and his new wife Elizabeth, and their dog Scoobert Doo. Dan has been with AED Essentials since March 2017.