Though Super Bowl LIII was all the way in Atlanta, two local men were there representing Delaware — just not on the field.
Ed Klima, an emergency preparedness consultant, and Kevin Eichinger, an industrial hygienist and on-scene coordinator, were both at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the big game. Both are former deputy chiefs for Aetna Hose Hook and Ladder Company.
Klima, an alumnus of the University of Delaware, began working with Aetna as a student in the 1990s before becoming a career firefighter in Virginia and then a director of public safety for Dover Motorsports.
“That’s kind of how I got into the world of emergency preparedness and special events,” he said. “And then around that same time, I was giving a presentation at a conference with a physician who oversaw all the medical preparedness for the Super Bowl. We kind of hit it off, and I joined his team and started working on the Super Bowl.”