Roundtable Talk - Safety Stand Down 2026: Fit to Serve, Fit for Life

Chief Cash has been in the fire service since 1995 starting as a junior volunteer firefighter and currently serving as Assistant Chief of Training and Safety with the Cherryville Fire Department in Cherryville, NC.  He began as a career firefighter with the City of Shelby, NC in 2005, where he currently holds the rank of Battalion Chief of Operations over C-Platoon since 2015.

Chief Cash holds a Master’s of Business Administration from Columbia Southern University, a Bachelor’s of Science in Political Science concentrating in Town, City, and County Management degree from Appalachian State University, and an Associate’s degree in Fire Protection Technology from Cleveland Community College.

He is a graduate of the North Carolina Association of Fire Chief’s Executive Development Program in October 2015.  He received the NCSFA Firefighter of the Year in 2015, NCAFC Volunteer Officer of the Year in 2019, and he was awarded his Chief Fire Officer Designation by the Center for Public Safety Excellence in 2019.  He currently serves on the Executive Board of the North Carolina State Firefighters’ Association.

Chief Cash currently serves on the Cleveland County United Way as a Board Member and on the Fund Distribution Panel, as well as serving as Co-Chair for the City of Shelby’s United Way Campaign.  He is a volunteer with the Cherryville Little League program serving as a Board Member and Umpire Coordinator in the past.  He is a member of First Baptist Church in Cherryville.

Chief Cash currently resides in Ranlo, NC with his lovely bride Erin.  They enjoy traveling around the country and the Caribbean together.

Shelby is the Fire Analysis Research Manager at the National Fire Protection Association. She manages the Annual Fire Experience Survey, the Needs Assessment of the U.S. Fire Service, as well as subsequent reports such as Fire Loss, Home Fires, and overall data collection, management, and analysis for developing national estimates of fire incidents. She holds both an M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Georgia and previously taught at Auburn University.  She enjoys applying social and behavioral science to her studies in fire data whenever possible. If she's not being a geek about data, you can find her living in Massachusetts spending time with her wonderful son, dogs, or travelling with her partner.

Dan Kerrigan is a 37-year veteran of the fire and emergency services profession, serving in positions from firefighter through fire chief, emergency management director and chief fire marshal. Over his career, Dan has served in volunteer, combination, and career fire departments of varying size and complexity. He is co-author of the bestselling book Firefighter Functional Fitness, a member of the IAFC-SHS Board of Directors, serves on the First Responder Center For Excellence Health and Fitness Advisory Committee and is a task force group member for the current IAFF-WFI Wellness-Fitness initiative. He is an international speaker on firefighter health and wellness, and works closely with national and International organizations in advocacy and leadership roles to improve fire, and EMS health and wellness, with a focus on equal access to services regardless of status as career or volunteer. Kerrigan earned his graduate degree in Executive Fire Service Leadership from Grand Canyon University. He holds an undergraduate degree in Community and Human Services from Empire State College and is a credentialed Executive Fire Officer (EFO) through the United States Fire Administration (USFA), a credentialed Chief Fire Officer (CFO), a Certified Fire Protection Specialist through the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA),

Eric Valliere began his fire service career in 1991 with the Mesa Fire Department (AZ) and later joined the Scottsdale Fire Department, where he retired in 2025 as the Assistant Fire Chief over Professional Services. He has led divisions across Operations, EMS, Training, Prevention & CRR, Logistics, Administration, and Safety, Health & Wellness. He holds a BSBA in Finance and the Chief Fire Officer Designation (CFOD).

Chief Valliere has served on the FDSOA Board since 2013 and became CEO in 2025. He has been an influential leader in the Phoenix Regional Automatic-Aid System, serving in roles including Co-Chair of the Valley Safety Officers Committee, Co-Chair of the Regional Operations Consistency Committee, and Chair of the Arizona Fire Chiefs Association Safety Section. He also supports the Drexel FIRST Center’s Safety Climate Program as an instructor and Advisory Board member.

He is passionate about advancing fire service safety, promoting effective risk management, and building strong safety cultures through engaged leadership.

Beginning his fire service career in 1992, Sarasota County Fire Department Deputy Fire Chief Darin Wallentine leads the Logistics, Safety, and Risk Section. Chief Wallentine previously served with the Tucson Fire Department, where he led the Safety and Wellness Division and advanced comprehensive firefighter health initiatives.

In 2021, Chief Wallentine was elected to the IAFC Safety, Health, and Survival (SHS)  Section Board of Directors as an At-Large Director. He has remained actively engaged in its growth and national impact and currently serves as the Vice-Chair for the IAFC Safety, Health, and Survival Section, bringing more than three decades of progressive fire service leadership to the role. As an SHS board member, Chief Wallentine represents the SHS Section as the Chairperson for the annual Firefighter Safety Stand Down. The annual collaborative between the IAFC, IAFF, NVFC, FDSOA, and NFPA to deliver critical safety resources and guidance to prevent career and volunteer firefighter injuries and death.

Chief Wallentine holds a Master of Arts degree in Public Safety Leadership and Administration from Arizona State University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from California State University at Fullerton.

Chief Wallentine lives in Sarasota, FL with his wife Teresa and has three grown children and two granddaughters.