David Lewis is an active member of the Odenton Volunteer Fire Company (Anne Arundel County, Maryland), having served for over 50 years as a volunteer firefighter/EMT, Past President, and past Chief Officer. David is a Past President of the Anne Arundel County Volunteer Firefighters Association and of the Maryland State Firemen’s Association. He currently serves as the President the Cumberland Valley Volunteer Firefighters Association and as Maryland Director to the National Volunteer Fire Council. David’s true passion is in training and education. He is active as an instructor with the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute and the National Fire Academy. He is also active with delivering training programs for the NVFC, traveling across the U.S. to enhance the training and education of emergency services personnel.

Tom Miller is a 35 year veteran of the Sissonville Volunteer Fire Department in West Virginia and has served on the NVFC Board since 2008.  He has held many positions of leadership within his department and currently serves on the Department's Board of Directors in addition to being an active firefighter.  Tom is active in the West Virginia State Fireman's Association and currently serves as its Scholarship Chair.  Tom holds many certifications including, but not limited to: Firefighter II, Fire Officer II, Hazardous Materials Technician/Incident Commander, Swift Water Rescue Technician, Vehicle Machinery Technician, Rope Rescue Technician, and Fire Instructor III, and is an active Instructor with West Virginia University Fire Service Extension.  He serves on the NVFC's Health & Safety and Conference/Education Committees.  Tom also represents the NVFC on the NFPA 470 Technical Committee and the NFPA Joint 1001/472 Task Group.  In his paying job, Tom is employed as the Privacy & Security Officer for the West Virginia Department of Administration.

Tom Miller is a 35 year veteran of the Sissonville Volunteer Fire Department in West Virginia and has served on the NVFC Board since 2008.  He has held many positions of leadership within his department and currently serves on the Department's Board of Directors in addition to being an active firefighter.  Tom is active in the West Virginia State Fireman's Association and currently serves as its Scholarship Chair.  Tom holds many certifications including, but not limited to: Firefighter II, Fire Officer II, Hazardous Materials Technician/Incident Commander, Swift Water Rescue Technician, Vehicle Machinery Technician, Rope Rescue Technician, and Fire Instructor III, and is an active Instructor with West Virginia University Fire Service Extension.  He serves on the NVFC's Health & Safety and Conference/Education Committees.  Tom also represents the NVFC on the NFPA 470 Technical Committee and the NFPA Joint 1001/472 Task Group.  In his paying job, Tom is employed as the Privacy & Security Officer for the West Virginia Department of Administration.

David is a 22 year member of the fire service and currently serves as a Lieutenant and coassigned to the Training Division with the Columbia County Fire Rescue (Ga.) and a part time Firefighter with Grovetown (Ga) DPS. In addition, he serves on the Board of Directors for the Georgia State Firefighter's Association, National Volunteer Fire Council State Director, Georgia Pipeline Emergency Response Initiave Board of Directors, NFPA’s Working Group on Flammable Refrigerants, Alternate to NFPA 1021 and 1056 Committees, and was Secretary of IFSTA's Pumping Apparatus Driver Operator 3rd Edition Curriculum Committee, contributor to the “Training Officer’s Desk Reference”, and is a Safety and Health coordinator with HEPACO LLC. As an active instructor for the Georgia Fire Academy with Firefighter Basics, David is constantly engaged with teaching live fire, leadership, HAZMAT, and Firefighter Survival/RIT classes.

TIGER SCHMITTENDORF served as Deputy Fire Coordinator for the County of Erie Department Homeland Security & Emergency Services (Buffalo NY) for more than 20 years before retiring in 2018. There he was responsible for the recruitment, training, and mutual aid operations of 97 fire departments and 6,000+ firefighters. He is a Nationally Certified Fire Instructor and has actively served as a firefighter with the Evans Center Volunteer Fire Company in Angola NY since 1980, having served as Chief of Training, Public Information Officer (PIO), Recruiter and as his department's first-ever junior firefighter. He brings 15 years of experience in engineering, sales, marketing and management to now marketing the product he loves: fire and emergency services. Connect with him at: tiger.schmittendorf@gmail.com, via FireRECRUITER.com, RuntotheCurb.com, SoldierFirefighter.com, or on social media.

Brian F. McQueen is a retired volunteer Fire Chief of the Whitesboro Fire Department, Whitesboro, NY. He is a forty-one year member of the volunteer service. McQueen is a retired public school educator spending most of his time as a Principal and a District Level School Administrator.

His local fire service tenure lead him to become active on the county and state level with the Oneida County Fire Chiefs Association, Oneida County Volunteer Firemen’s Association and the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York (FASNY) where he served 10 years as a Director. In November 2017, Brian was awarded the prestigious FASNY Golden Trumpet Award for his diligent work on occupational cancer in the fire service and his ability to work with state government officials in the passing of the state’s Volunteer Firefighter Cancer Law. This past April, Brian was awarded the First National Volunteer Fire Council’s Chief James P. Seavey Sr. Award for Excellence in Health and Wellness.

McQueen also is a member of the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) where he currently sits on the Executive Committee and is Co-Chairman of the Cancer Task Force for the NVFC. Brian represents the NVFC on the National Firefighter’s Cancer Alliance. Brian was instrumental in developing a working relationship with the IAFC-VCOS Cancer Committee in assisting in the development of the Lavender Ribbon Report that was introduced in FRI this past August.

What Brian is proud of is his battle with occupational cancer. In 2014, he was diagnosed with B-Cell Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma which his oncologist says was attributed to his work as a volunteer firefighter. It was then that he went back to his community, worked with other volunteer leadership, and created the Believe 271 Foundation Inc., a not for profit Foundation developed to assist volunteer firefighters and their families who are battling cancer and life-threatening illnesses.

Chief John M. Buckman III served 35 years as fire chief for the German Township (Indiana) Volunteer Fire Department, and 15 years as director of the fire and public safety academy for the Indiana State Fire Marshal Office. He is the Director of Government and Regional Outreach for IamResponding.com. Chief Buckman is a past president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs and a co-founder of the IAFC Volunteer and Combination Officers Section. In 1996, Fire Chief Magazine named Buckman Volunteer Fire Chief of the Year. The Chief is an accomplished photographer, a co-author of the Lesson Learned from Fire-Rescue Leaders, and the editor of the Chief Officers Desk Reference. Chief Buckman is the owner of Wildfire Productions and is a member of the Fire Chief/FireRescue1 Editorial Advisory Board.

Lori started her career with the NVFC in 2006. She dedicates her time working on both corporate and federal partnerships and is the point of contact for many of the NVFC’s programs. Lori’s volunteer roots in the fire and emergency services date back to her time at the University of the Ozarks, where she served at the grassroots level as the Fire Corps team leader for Johnson County Rural Fire District #1 in Clarksville, AR (her home state), while earning her degree in marketing.

My name is Joel Cerny and I am proud of the passion I have for the fire service. I have been a volunteer firefighter in a small rural community in Nebraska since 1980, the Linwood Volunteer Fire Department. I have served several of the officer’s positions on our department and currently serve as the Fire Chief, a position I have held with honor for over 20 years. We have 21 members, and I am delighted to say that my wife, daughter and son-in-law are also active members of the department. 

Being a volunteer firefighter in Nebraska has given me the opportunity to be involved with various groups that promote the importance of brotherhood. I am excited to share with you the paths I have covered in my journey. 

• Past President of the Nebraska Fire Chiefs Association 

• Past President of the Nebraska State Volunteer Firefighters Association 

• NVFC Director for the Nebraska State Volunteer Firefighters Association 

• Chairman of the NVFC Recruitment and Retention Committee 
• Member of the NVFC OSHA Task Force Committee

• Appointed by several of the Nebraska Governors to serve on the Nebraska EMS Board since 2000 

• Serve on the Nebraska Critical Incident Stress Management Team 

We often chuckle that the fire service is my hobby, and one that I can enjoy with my family and friends.  

I recently retired from my full-time day job as the Environmental, Health and Safety Coordinator where I also had the responsibility of overseeing all training for the 600 employees of the manufacturing facility. My retirement now allows me to spend even more time enjoying my hobby.

Tom Merrill is a 37-year fire department veteran and serves with the Snyder Fire Department, which is located in Amherst, New York (first ring suburb of the City of Buffalo). He served 26 years as a department officer including 15 years in the chief officer ranks. He was chief of department from 2007-2012 and currently serves as a Fire Commissioner for the Snyder Fire District. Tom has conducted various fire service presentations throughout the country including FDIC, The National Volunteer Fire Council Training Summit, VCOS and many other national, state and regional conferences. His popular presentation "The Professional Volunteer Fire Department" is based on the series of articles he has written for Fire Engineering regarding developing and maintaining a professional reputation in the volunteer fire service. In addition Tom delivers keynote addresses and other presentations focusing on leadership, officer development, engine company operations and fire service history, heritage and pride.  Tom also hosts a regular podcast sponsored by Fire Engineering titled “The Professional Volunteer Fire Department” and he is employed full time as a fire dispatcher for the Town of Amherst Fire Alarm Office.

Mike is a 45-year veteran of the fire service and a 27-year veteran of the New York City Fire Department (FDNY), retiring as Captain of Ladder 123.  As a firefighter in Ladder Company 43, Dugan received the James Gordon Bennett medal in 1992 and the Harry M. Archer Medal in 1993, the FDNY’s highest award for bravery. He developed training programs that were taught to all FDNY members. Mike is a contributing editor at Fire Engineering Magazine. He is a teacher at the Fire Department Instructor Conference (FDIC) and  is a  Fire Engineering and FDIC  Executive Board member. He is a featured lecturer around the country, teaching Truck Company Operations, Building Construction 's impact on firefighter safety, Leadership and  issues involving today's fire service. He was awarded the "Tommy Brennan Life Time Achievement Award" in 2021. 

Mike Gagliano has over 33 years of fire/crash/rescue experience with the Seattle Fire Department and the United States Air Force. Mike teaches across the country on Fireground Tactics/Decision-Making, Air Management, Leadership and Company Officer Development. He is currently the president of the Firefighter Air Coalition (aircoalition.org).

Captain Gagliano has written numerous fire service articles and is co-author of the bestselling books Air Management for the Fire Service and Challenges of the Firefighter Marriage. He is a member of the Fire Engineering/FDIC Advisory Board Firefighter and the Emeritus Board of the Firefighter Safety Research Institute.

Mike co-hosts the popular Fire Engineering radio webcast “The Mikey G and Mikey D Show” and partners with his wife Anne (Firelife.com) to teach strategies for developing and maintaining a strong marriage/family.

Clark Lamping is a 26-year veteran and a 15 year Captain and with the Clark County (NV) Fire Department. In his career, he has spent 17 years working on Las Vegas Blvd.  He currently holds a Master’s degree in Crisis and Emergency Management and a Bachelors degree in psychology- both from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, (UNLV). He is a rescue squad officer with Nevada Task Force 1 with multiple deployments.  He has instructed at FDIC, MAFFC, Firehouse, and HROC. 

Kevin Ward has been serving as the Fire Chief for Layton City, Utah since 2004. Prior to that, Chief Ward served over 23 years with the Chandler Fire Department, retiring as a Battalion Chief. He served as a Captain for 18 years, as well as the Hazardous Materials Team Coordinator for over 10 years. Chief Ward started his emergency services career in Los Angeles County in 1977, graduating from Daniel Freeman Paramedic School, working in the City of La Verne for a private EMS provider. He has served two terms as President of the Utah State Fire Chiefs Association, and currently serves as Utah Director to the Western Fire Chiefs Association.

Chief Ward is an adjunct faculty member for Utah Valley University’s Fire & Rescue Academy (UFRA), serving as a Command Training Center and Fire Officer instructor since 2006.  He is a member of the FireShowsWest Educational Committee, is a regular attender of the National Fire Academy, and former Chair of the Utah Fire Officer Designation Program. Chief Ward is a regular contributor to the UFRA magazine, “The Straight Tip”.

He is serving in his fourth term as an “at large” elected member of the Board of Trustees for the Weber Fire District, and is the current Board Chair. Chief Ward has a BA in Fire Service Administration, and has held National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) qualifications as a Type 3 Incident Commander, Strike Team leader, and Structure Protection Specialist.

Doug deBest has been involved in the fire service for over twenty-nine years, starting out as a volunteer firefighter.  He has served in many different compacities within the fire service; from volunteer & career roles on municipal departments, part-time on a private fire department, and even an industrial fire brigade member.  Currently, Doug serves as the Training Officer for the St. Joseph Township Fire Department – Station # 1.

Chief Johnson's career spans 25 years of public service.  In his early career he started the fire service in 1993 with the El Dorado County Fire Department and joined the U.S. Forest Service in 1995 where he held positions from firefighter to fire captain.  He was an instructor of Fire Science at the College of Southern Nevada.  Later he held the positions of Assistant Chief and Fire Training Instructor at Clark County Fire Department in the State of Nevada. These roles required him to supervise a paid and volunteer firefighting staff, 13 Fire Stations and EMS personnel. 

Nick Arnett is a firefighter, Fireline EMT, Public Information Officer, and Critical Incident Stress Manager with the US Forest Service and is a Medical Unit Leader on a national Complex Incident Management Team. He is a California State Fire Training Instructor and volunteers with Spring Valley Fire Department near San Jose, California. Nick was a paramedic in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, area in the 1970s and 80s, then moved to California, where he switched careers into journalism, market research, and software product leadership, but stayed involved in disaster response. After a line-of-duty death in his family in 2004, Nick joined the Bay Area Critical Incident Stress Management Team and later became a chaplain with the California Fire Chaplain Association.

Dave has been the State Fire Supervisor for Massachusetts since 2007, and during in tenure has been the chair of the Northeast Forest Fire Supervisors, and is the current Chair of the Cohesive Strategy Northeast Regional Strategy Committee, and represents the Northeast States on the NWCG Incident Position Standards Committee.  He is has been in the fire service, both structural and wildland, for over 30 years, and was a rural call/volunteer Fire Chief prior to taking on his current state role.

Rachel Buczynski is a facilitator, educator, and instructional designer with two decades of experience supporting fire service organizations and other nonprofits. Rachel holds a B.A. from Texas A&M University and an M.S. Adult Education and Human Resource Development from James Madison University.

Rachel Buczynski is a facilitator, educator, and instructional designer with two decades of experience supporting fire service organizations and other nonprofits. Rachel holds a B.A. from Texas A&M University and an M.S. Adult Education and Human Resource Development from James Madison University.