Bernie Molloy has been in the fire service for 25 years, working through every rank at the Lakeside Fire Protection District in San Diego County before becoming the Fire Chief of Murrieta Fire & Rescue in March of 2022.  He has focused largely on EMS, training, and fire department operations throughout his career, filling roles on the San Diego County CICCS committee, instructing at the Heartland Fire Academy, serving as the Central San Diego County MACS rep, and was a member of the San Diego County Incident Management Team. Chief Molloy maintains his Paramedic license, holds a master’s degree in emergency services management, and is a graduate of the National Fire Academy's Executive Fire Officer Program, where his research focused on EMS transport models in California and preparing and evacuating communities in advance of wildfires. Bernie has served in several professional capacities throughout his time as a Chief officer.  He was a member of the San Diego County Fire Chiefs EMS Section for six years, serving as president from 2017-2021.  Once moving to the Fire Chief role in Murrieta, Chief Molloy took on the position of Secretary for the Riverside County Fire Chiefs Association and moved to the President role in January of 2024.  Chief Molloy has also been an active member of Cal Chiefs since 2016, when he joined the EMS section. He served as the Cal Chiefs EMS Section Branch Director for the Southern Section from 2018 to 2020. In 2020, Chief Molloy was elected as the EMS Section President, where he represented Cal Chiefs on the AB1544 Community Paramedicine Oversight Committee and the Cal EMSA Strategic Plan formation.  In 2022, Chief Molloy moved from EMS Section President to the Southern Division Director role.

Dr. Brad Goldberg is faculty within the Department of Emergency & Transport Medicine at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Before joining CHLA for fellowship, Dr. Goldberg completed his residency training in New York where he completed a chief residency year. Dr. Goldberg’s research and administrative efforts are focused around disaster preparedness and emergency management. At current he serves as CHLA’s Medical Director for Emergency Management and co-chair of the Special Pathogens Program. Dr. Goldberg is the Chief Medical Officer for the Los Angeles Unit of the California State Disaster Medical Team and a sworn in Medical Officer with the National Disaster Medical Service. Non-clinical time is spent collaborating with outside organizations including the Western Regional Alliance for Pediatric Emergency Management and the newly grant funded Pediatric Pandemic Network as a subject matter expert.

Bryan has been in the fire service for 24 years.  He began his career in the Lake Tahoe region and besides working his way through paramedic school and into a full-time position, he was also a full-time ski patroller and SAR member.  He began his current firefighter / paramedic position in Southern California after he got married and had two beautiful daughters.  He is an avid rock climber, mountaineer, canyoneer, and outdoor enthusiast.  His current ancillary roles also include tactical SWAT medic, Training Specialist, California State Fire instructor in various technical domains, NAEMT Affiliate Faculty, FIRESCOPE subcommittee member, NWCG subcommittee member, Adjunct Instructor for Palomar College, and owner / CEO of his consulting company Prevail Rescue Solutions.  He specializes in training and program development for small unit vertical mobility in both civilian and DOD spectrums and travels the nation assisting in REMS development and implementation.

Dr. Denise Whitfield is the Assistant Medical Director for the Los Angeles County EMS Agency. She is a former Commander in the U.S. Navy with extensive experience delivering emergency medical care in diverse environments.  She spent 12 years on active duty, with combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. As a Naval Flight Surgeon, she completed operational assignments with the Marine Corps.  As her final Navy assignment, she served as a White House Physician where she conducted operational medical planning and ensured medical care delivery for the President, Vice-President and First Lady.  Following her service in the Navy, she completed an EMS fellowship with Los Angeles County (LAC) and joined the LAC EMS Agency in July 2018.   In her previous role as the Director of Education and Innovation, she directed education programs at the LAC EMS Agency. Dr. Whitfield is an active member of Los Angeles County Fire Department’s CA-TF2 Urban Search and Rescue Team and Emergency Medicine faculty at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, serving as faculty for the EMS Fellowship Program at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in collaboration with the Los Angeles County EMS Agency and the Harbor-UCLA Emergency Medicine residency program.

Dominic Polito has worked in the Fire Service for almost 20 years. Dominic likes to eat burritos on Saturday. He drinks black coffee and is often seen falling asleep in public. He is a proud member of the “Successful Breeders of America,” club, in which he has contributed 5 new humans to society. He currently is parenting 3 teenagers and one young adult. He is often confused, beat down, and questioning all of his decisions concerning his fore mentioned affiliation with said clubs. He is married to a strong woman with an iron uterus, who spends most of her days cooking, cleaning, teaching, and doing kegels. He has a strong mustache in which he draws all of his power, talent, and stored food particles. He has spent a decade in Peer Support and two decades trying to understand himself in the ever-evolving sh*t-show of prolonged exposure to trauma, PTSD, and how both of those inner mingle with family life. He breaks it down to a philosophy, in which simple minds (like his), can understand and therefore employ positive change.

Geoffrey Pease has been a member of the Sacramento Fire Department for 23 years. He has served in the rank of Firefighter paramedic, Engineer and Fire Investigator. Geoffrey is a Certified Fire Investigator through the International Association of Arson Investigators. Geoffrey is currently serving as one of two supervising Fire Investigators in the Sacramento Fire/Arson Investigation Unit. Geoffrey is committed to increasing the effectiveness of fire investigation and arson prosecution within his own department and others.

Haris Shekhani is a distinguished physician and biomedical engineer, recognized for his significant contributions to the field of manual ventilation. Manual ventilation is a skill that is often difficult to teach in a classroom and perform in a high anxiety clinical environment. With a lifelong dedication to research, Dr. Shekhani has invested the past six years in studying behavioral and performance metrics related to manual ventilation. His extensive research experience includes the observation and analysis of over 5,000 healthcare providers engaged in manual ventilation practices. Dr. Shekhani's pioneering work has played a pivotal role in the development of the groundbreaking and award winning Sotair Device. This recently FDA cleared innovative intervention marks a departure from traditional monitoring devices, addressing the critical need to reduce variability among healthcare providers during manual ventilation. As one of the co-founders of SafeBVM, Dr. Shekhani continues to lead the way in advancing patient care and safety through his research and dedication to improving manual ventilation practices.

James "Jimmy" Pierson is the President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Medic Ambulance Service. With a lifelong involvement in Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Pierson began his career with his family's company in 2001, initially serving as a system support technician and dispatcher. His innate understanding of the EMS industry propelled him to progress steadily through various roles within Medic. Under Pierson's leadership, Medic has achieved notable milestones, including six successful Commission on the Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS) accreditations and three communications center ACE Accreditations by the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch (IAED). Remarkably, Medic is among the select 31 services globally to hold both accreditations simultaneously. Pierson's adept leadership and extensive experience have ensured Medic's exceptional performance, maintaining a 98% compliance rate with its Solano County EOA Contract and various multi-county interfacility ambulance contracts during his tenure. Notably, he spearheaded Medic's collaboration with the Sonoma County Fire District, resulting in the successful award and operation of Sonoma County's primary operating area. Over the past 12 years, Pierson has overseen Medic's remarkable growth, increasing annual transports from 32,000 to over 105,000, and employees from 225 to over 625. His contributions to the field have been recognized as a 2007 California Ambulance Association Star of Life award, the 2018 State of California EMT-Paramedic of the Year award, and the 2019 State of California Meritorious Service Medal. Beyond his professional achievements, Pierson is actively engaged in industry leadership roles, serving as a Board of Director and the Immediate Past President of the California Ambulance Association. He is also a member of the California Hospital Association EMS/Trauma Committee and various state and local committees. In 2019, Pierson was honored as a Fellow of the American College of Paramedic Executives (FACPE) and holds certifications as an Ambulance Compliance Officer (CACO) and Ambulance Privacy Officer (CAPO).

Jodi Smith is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in California, a Registered Play Therapist Supervisor, and a Certified Animal Assisted Play Therapist. She has been working with children, teenagers, and their families, in various capacities, for over 20 years. She has worked extensively with children in a wide variety of settings including residential treatment centers, hospitals, and schools. After 25 years serving in community mental health, Jodi is currently working in private practice full time. Jodi has two canines, Daltrey and Daenerys, who work with her in her practice. In addition to their clinical work, Jodi and Daltrey are certified with HOPE Animal Assisted Crisis response. Through HOPE they volunteer to provide support to first responders and survivors following disasters or traumatic events. Together they have responded to numerous events in California, including: the NorthPark shooting, Montecito Mudslides, Santa Rosa Fire, Paradise Fire and many more.

Katie B. Sommer earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of California at Santa Barbara, and thereafter earned her Juris Doctor from Whittier Law School in 2005. Before joining the team at Firefighter’s First Credit Union, Katie’s law practice focused on probate and estate litigation, estate planning and trust administration. Prior to her work in estates, Katie worked as a Deputy District Attorney for the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office for over eleven years. Katie is the mother of two and the proud wife a Los Angeles City Firefighter. With her strong legal background and great understanding and appreciation for the Fire Department, Katie looks forward to working with you to achieve your estate planning goals.

Kevin Mackey MD, FAEMS is double boarded in Emergency Medicine and Emergency Medical Services. He attended medical school at St. Louis University, completed his emergency medicine residency at the University of Pittsburgh before joining Kaiser Permanente in 2004 as a full time emergency physician. Dr. Mackey has served in a variety of roles including the EMS medical director for a multi-county EMS authority, the fire service medical director for Sacramento Regional Fire Services, and medical director for the Sacramento Airport Authority. In his current roles, Dr. Mackey is the medical team manager for FEMA’s Urban Search and Rescue Task Force 7, the medical director for Sacramento Fire Department and Sacramento Airport Fire. His leadership in EMS includes positions in state and national organizations, currently as the treasurer for the National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP), the past-chair for the National Registry of EMTs and as a scope of practice committee member for the Emergency Medical Directors Association of California. He serves on several national work groups looking at the EMS workforce shortage and he is a member of the Joint National EMS Leadership Forum. Dr. Mackey is an accomplished lecturer having delivered EMS focused topics at local, national and international meetings. He currently lives in Sacramento, California.

• Emergency and Trauma RN for 14 years • Anaheim Fire for 8 years as EMS Educator and EMS Manager • Newport Beach Fire since 2015 as EMS Division Chief • Cal Chiefs EMS Section member since 2007, Secretary for the Southern Section since 2014. • EMS Commissioner representing Cal Chiefs since 2021. • Involved heavily in firefighter health and safety since 2007, teaching numerous classes to firefighters on health and safety topics. • Cal Chiefs appointment as SME to State Fire Training Cadre for Behavioral Health and Cancer curriculum development in 2019 and completed in 2020. • Cal Jac taskforce member for development of SFT instructor materials for BH, Suicide Awareness/Prevention and cancer curriculum. • Author of Cal Chiefs Operations Manual- Firefighter Behavioral Health and Cancer mitigation section • Cal Chiefs representative on Firescope Cancer Prevention Subcommittee and California Behavioral Health Taskforce.

Madison has 7+ years of supporting public sector organizations with strategic planning, performance management, and project management. Since joining Envisio in 2016, Madison has supported hundreds of public sector organizations through the evaluation, implementation, and adoption of technology to transform the way they manage strategic panning and performance management.

Fire Chief Mark Heine currently serves as the Fire Chief of the Sonoma County Fire District and the California Fire Chiefs Association President. Chief Heine is a 37-year veteran of the California fire service. Under his leadership, the Sonoma County Fire District has greatly expanded it ALS delivery system through the creation of a unique public/private partnership to form SCFD-EMS. In 2023, SCFD-EMS competed against AMR in a competitive bid process to become the primary provider of ALS ambulance services in Sonoma County and was successful in that process. SCFD-EMS took over in January 2024 as the primary ambulance provider for EOA1 in Sonoma County. This unique partnership, “Partners in Care” has created a new paradigm for the delivery of emergency ambulance services in California.

Dr. Megan McElheran is a Clinical Psychologist and the CEO of Before Operational Stress Inc. Dr. McElheran completed graduate training at the PAU-Stanford University Clinical Psychology Consortium, during which she obtained specialized training in the treatment of PTSD through the National Center for PTSD in Menlo Park, CA. She continues to focus on work with first responders, and her clinical practice involves work with active-duty military, Veterans, members of various firefighting organizations, medical personnel, and others who are directly or vicariously impacted by traumatic events. She completed a TEDx speech in 2011 related to Trauma, Change, and Resilience.

Division Chief Mike Hayes is the EMS Administrator for the City of New Braunfels Fire Department (TX). He has been in the American Fire Service for nearly 25 years. During that time, he has served in organizations all around the world in an array of roles ranging from volunteer, industrial, defense contract, police officer/arson investigator, company officer, EMS officer, instructor, training officer, EMS administrator and Texas Emergency Medical Task Force (EMTF) leader. Chief Hayes holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration, a bachelors in emergency health science and a masters in public administration. He is board certified in critical care, flight, and tactical paramedicine, is credentialed as a Chief EMS Officer (CEMSO) from the Center for Public Safety Excellence, Fire Service Chief Executive officer (FSCEO) from the Mays Business School at Texas A&M, and Certified Fire Executive (CFE) from the Texas Fire Chief’s Association. Chief Hayes is a committee member on the Texas Governors EMS and Trauma Advisory Council (GETAC), Texas Child Fatality Review Team (CFRT) committee member, and is a member of the board of directors for Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council (STRAC). In 2019, while working with STRAC, Chief Hayes implemented the Regional Whole Blood program within the New Braunfels Fire Department. As the EMS Division Chief/EMS Administrator for the department, Chief Hayes continues to collaborate with regional stakeholders to improve both traumatic and medical survival rates with the transfusion of whole blood within the Emergency Medical Services arena.

Patrick is the Founder and President of 3AM Innovations.  A resident of Buffalo, NY and a former volunteer Firefighter of five years of Grand Island, NY.   When a neighboring department suffered loss of life due to the outdated accountability systems, his mission was started “to protect those, who protect us.”   Patrick lives in Grand Island, NY with his wife and two children and just welcomed two foster children into his family.   He has a BS in Psychology from the University of Buffalo and often spends his time volunteering for local non-for-profits.

Peter M. Antevy, MD is a Pediatric Emergency Medicine (EM) physician practicing in-hospital emergency medical care at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, a level I trauma and tertiary care center in South Florida. Board-certified in pediatrics, emergency medicine and the complex subspecialty of EMS, he is also the founder and chief medical officer of Handtevy - Pediatric Emergency Standards, Inc., and he serves as the Medical Director for Davie Fire- Rescue, Coral Springs-Parkland Fire Rescue, Southwest Ranches Fire Rescue and MCT Express, all in South Florida. Dr. Antevy also serves as Associate Medical Director for several other agencies including Palm Beach County, Florida and he is also the longstanding medical director for two highly-regarded paramedic training programs as well as several mobile integrated healthcare (MIHC) programs in greater Broward County, Florida. Dr. Antevy was recently appointed to serve as the lead pediatric EMS specialist/consultant for the highly-influential Metropolitan EMS Medical Directors Coalition. This highly-cohesive international consortium, known for envelope- pushing education and operational advances in 9-1-1 care, is largely comprised of the jurisdictional, accountable medical directors of the 50 to 60 largest municipalities in the U.S. and Europe as well as several key U.S. federal agencies. In turn, he has been the recipient of many regional, national and international honors and awards including the 2014 Raymond H. Alexander EMS Medical Director of the Year in Florida and the 2015 EMS 10 Innovator of the Year Award from the Journal of Emergency Medical Services. In 2017, he was awarded the prestigious Ron J. Anderson Memorial Award in Dallas, TX, the international public health service accolade bestowed for his far- reaching public health contributions in emergency medical care, particularly for his efforts to improve outcomes for critically ill and injured children. In 2018, Peter was named National Medical Director of the Year by the NAEMT. At the same time, Dr. Antevy remains a grounded, in-the-trenches EMS medical director as exemplified by his recent intrepid on-scene patient care at the Parkland, Florida high school shooting incident and, in turn, his connected follow-up of patients, families and rescuers. A world-class lecturer and training expert, he has become an admired and sought-after educator-speaker for innumerable state and national conferences.

Dr. Randall M. Schaefer (Lieutenant Colonel, US Army, Retired), DNP, RN, ACNS-BC, CEN, served for 20 years as an Emergency/Trauma Nurse in operational units and fixed facilities in clinical and staff officer roles. She deployed three times in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Inherent Resolve. During deployments, she established and implemented prehospital blood programs and Walking Blood Banks at the unit and strategic levels. Upon retirement from Active Duty in 2017 until 2021, she worked at the Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council (STRAC). She was the program manager for developing and implementing the country's first multi-institutional, multi-disciplinary Regional Whole Blood Program, comprised of 18 ground EMS agencies, ten helicopter EMS bases, and numerous hospitals throughout South Texas. She developed a comprehensive regional onboarding process for EMS agencies as they navigated the process of carrying prehospital whole blood. She serves as a Steering Committee Member for the Prehospital Blood Transfusion Initiative Coalition, Board Member of the North Carolina EMS Regional Blood Coalition, and on the AABB Prehospital Standards Working Group. Dr. Schaefer received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of San Francisco, her Master of Science in Nursing from Widener University, and her Doctor of Nursing Practice from the University of Texas Health-San Antonio. Her doctoral project collaborated with the San Antonio Fire Department focused on "Increasing prehospital transfusion rates in patients experiencing hemorrhagic shock: A quality improvement initiative."

Robin began her nursing career in 1991 at Olive View Medical Center in the Emergency Department. For the past 23 years she worked in the ED at four other hospitals. In 1999 she was hired by Ventura County Fire Department as an Emergency Medical Dispatch QI nurse/trainer and was asked to develop a QI program for the first responders. In 2003 she was given the responsibility of becoming the Designated Infection Control Officer (DICO) for her department. As a new DICO, the sheer mass of regulations, laws and policies for officers was overwhelming. In order to make sense of all this, the DICO course was developed by Susan Hayward from Burbank FD and Robin and was first presented at CFED 2012. The response was positive from those attending, so the course is being offered again by popular demand.

Scott Hembree recently retired from the Austin Fire Department as a Lieutenant after 28 years of service. During his tenure, Lt. Hembree served as a firefighter and fire officer in the Special Operations Division responsible for water and dive rescue, high-angle rescue, and hazardous materials response. Lt. Hembree was assigned to the Arson Investigations Division, where he became a law enforcement officer. Lt. Hembree joined the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, where he was specialized in WMD investigations and mitigation. Lt. Hembree ended his professional career with the Department of Homeland Security as an Intelligence Officer assigned to the Austin Regional Intelligence Center. Lt. Hembree began teaching for ALERRT in 2017, and he currently serves as the Regional Manager for the Western U.S.

Sharon is an accomplished Performance Improvement Leader with clinical background who has 15 years of experience of leading results-oriented initiatives and programs. In her capacity as the Executive Director for Performance Excellence at CHOC, Sharon is responsible for the organization’s strategic and tactical implementation of the Performance Excellence program. Sharon also oversees Performance Measurement at CHOC. As a Performance Excellence leader, Sharon has extensive experience in the areas of performance improvement strategies, building capacity and capability for improvement, statistical process control method, and change management. Before starting her Performance Excellence journey, Sharon was an advocate for children with special needs, a med/surg nurse, an OR case manager and a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner. Sharon received her Master of Science in Quality Assurance: Service and Health care from California State Univ., Dominguez Hills. She is a Juran Institute/Kaiser Permanente certified lean six sigma black belt and a certified Accelerating Implementation Methodology (AIM) instructor.

Deputy Chief Ted Peterson began his career over 40 years ago as a first responder and has served as a Chief Officer for over 20 years. In his years of service, he has worked with Napa, Solano, and Marin Counties. Chief Peterson has a bachelor’s degree and a teaching credential which he used for 25 years, teaching at both Napa Valley College and College of Marin. Prior to joining the Southern Marin Fire Protection District, Deputy Chief Peterson worked as a Battalion Chief for the Novato Fire Protection District. There he was responsible for the EMS division for 16 years. Currently Ted serves on several local, state, and national committees and is the taskforce leader on a Federal Financial Participation Program that, to date has brought over $400 million dollars to the California Fire Service as increased compensation for delivering healthcare to low income residents. Chief Peterson has numerous recognitions and awards for the work he has done for the Fire Service. Deputy Chief Peterson lives in Napa with the beautiful and talented artist wife Janice. They have two adult daughters and two grandsons, all of whom live in Napa.

Dr. Tim Nakamura is a father of two young children. He enjoys surfing, woodworking, and traveling just to name a few hobbies. Dr. Nakamura is a United States Army veteran. He served as a medic and non-commissioned officer until leaving active duty in 2008. He has been in the field of public safety for over 20 years, including EMS and law enforcement. Dr. Nakamura serves as a Level I Reserve Deputy Sheriff for the Imperial County Sheriff's Office, working solo patrol for the past 15 years. Dr. Nakamura holds A.A. degrees in both Liberal Arts and Police Science, an A.A. in Respiratory Therapy, and a B.S. in Emergency Medical Care from Loma Linda University. Additionally, Dr. Nakamura also possesses a M.S. in Forensic Psychology from Argosy University and a M.S. in Education from Pepperdine University. Dr. Nakamura earned his Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology from Ryokan College. Currently, Dr. Nakamura is an adjunct faculty member teaching general psychology and is a Registered Psychological Associate at Ensemble Therapy and preparing for licensure.

Todd Costa has over 20 years’ experience in EMS. He started as a Lifeguard-EMT for the City of Solana Beach Marine Safety Department in 2001. Todd transitioned from pre-hospital to the Emergency Department by working as an ED Technician in 2008 while attending Nursing School. He became an RN in 2010. He has worked in multiple specialty centers (Stroke-Neuro, Cardiovascular, Trauma, Pediatric) and has experience working with pre-hospital providers as a Mobile Intensive Care Nurse. After obtaining his Master’s Degree in Nursing Leadership from Cal State Fullerton in 2019, Todd joined Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) as a Nurse Educator. He has a passion for CQI and is a founding member of the OCFA Quality Management Division. In 2022 he became the EMS Coordinator for OCFA where he coordinates various EMS activities for over 1200 Paramedics and EMTs.

Zita Konik serves at the Medical Director for Alameda County EMS Agency in California, which includes the cities of Oakland, Berkeley, and Fremont and supports EMS care to 1.8 million people. She attended medical school at the University of California, San Francisco and completed her emergency medicine residency training at Stanford University. She is board certified in both Emergency Medicine and Emergency Medicine services. She first became involved in EMS when she served as medical director for Novato Fire for ten years, which paved the way for her to serve as Napa County EMS Medical Director for five years and her current role in Alameda County. She currently is the President-elect of the Emergency Medical Directors Association of California. She also is the medical director for the Napa Solano SANE-SART team which conducts forensic sexual assault and domestic violence exams for 5 counties in Northern CA.

Bill Weiser's esteemed career with CDF/CAL FIRE commenced in 1981, marking over four decades of dedicated service to the fire service. Beginning as a seasonal firefighter, he steadily progressed through the ranks, exemplifying commitment and expertise in each role. With a steadfast dedication to his craft, Bill transitioned to the role of Fire Apparatus Engineer after four years, contributing his skills to the Riverside Unit/County. His proficiency and leadership qualities saw him rise to the rank of Fire Captain in 1990, where he served admirably for 19 years. In 2009, Bill's exemplary performance led to his promotion to Battalion Chief, a position he held until 2015 when he ascended to the role of Division Chief. Notably, in August 2020, Bill was honored to be appointed as the Fire Chief for Riverside County Fire and the CAL FIRE Riverside Unit, a testament to his leadership capabilities and expertise. Throughout his illustrious career, Bill has actively engaged in teaching cadres, imparting knowledge and skills to fellow firefighters. His involvement spans various critical areas, including Basic and Intermediate Firing, Incident Management, and Fire Behavior. Notably, his contributions to the development of the command platform SCOUT and the Wildland Urban Interface Operating Principles manual underscore his innovative spirit and commitment to enhancing firefighting practices. Bill's leadership extends beyond the fireground, as evidenced by his pivotal role in coordinating emergency evacuation plans for Riverside County in collaboration with public cooperators. His 16 years of service on Incident Management Teams, where he advanced to the position of Operations Section Chief, further highlights his strategic acumen and ability to navigate complex operational environments. Beyond his professional achievements, Bill cherishes his enduring marriage of 36 years, a testament to his commitment both on and off duty.

Brian K. Rice has been involved with the California fire service and the firefighter labor movement for more than three decades. Brian spent over 30 years with the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire Department, rising to the position of Deputy Chief. Brian was also twice elected as president of Sacramento Area Firefighters Local 522, serving a total of 12 years in the position. In 2018, Brian was elected president of California Professional Firefighters, representing over 35,000 front line firefighters and paramedics around the state. He also serves as co-chair of the California Firefighter Joint Apprenticeship Committee and chair of the non-profit California Fire Foundation.

Dr. Claire Gahm is currently an Emergency Medical Services fellow with the University of California San Diego. She works concurrently as faculty with the Rady Children's Hospital pediatric emergency medicine group. Prior to that, she worked as an Assistant Professor with Baylor College of Medicine / Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, TX. She is an ongoing part of one of the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR)'s Center of Excellence for pediatric disaster preparedness with the Gulf 7 - Pediatric Disaster Network as a domain lead for community engagement. She has also worked with the Emergency Medical Services for Children Innovation Center (EMS-C EIIC). She completed her training as a combined pediatric emergency medicine and global health physician at BCM/TCH where she spent a few months a year working in Lilongwe, Malawi with their pediatric department as a part of an established partnership in the roles of educator and clinician. She completed a pediatric residency and chief year at Case Western / Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio and medical school at the Medical School for International Health / Ben Gurion University in Beersheva, Israel. Her interests include pediatric disaster preparedness, prehospital care and global emergency response.

David became a paramedic in 1989. By Y2K, having run thousands of 911 calls, he moved on as a national EMS consultant and Director of Operations for Maryland’s largest ambulance provider. In 2008, having earned his California Law License, David opened his own EMS Defense Law practice. He is the author of the Amazon Best Seller: “Sirens, Lights, and Lawyers: The law and other really important stuff EMS providers never learned in school,” and is nationally known speaker on the topic of EMS Law & Defense.

Derek Urwin, PhD is an Engineer with the Los Angeles County Fire Department and Assistant Adjunct Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry at UCLA. He has been a firefighter for 17 years, serving in the communities of East Los Angeles and Inglewood, and he chairs the California FIRESCOPE Cancer Prevention Subcommittee.  He works collaboratively with other academic researchers on projects designed to quantify firefighters' occupational exposures to carcinogens and the biological effect of those exposures with the goal of developing interventions to reduce cancer risk for firefighters.

Eric Saylors has 29 years of experience in the fire service and a doctorate in organizational change and leadership (OCL) from USC. During this time, he has personally developed and proctored over 200 intentional mass causality incident drills, designed the after-action review of the Sacramento K Street mass killing, testified before the state assembly twice, and presented on active shooters to the Center of Homeland Security and Defense (CHDS).  He is the Fire Chief of the El Cerrito/Kensington Fire Department after spending 25 years at the Sacramento City Fire Department. During his career, he worked as a firefighter, an engineer, a captain, a battalion chief, and an assistant chief for the City of Sacramento. He is a paramedic, a hazmat specialist, and a technical rescue technician. He has two associate degrees, a bachelor's in finance, a master's in Security Studies from the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), and a Doctorate in education (OCL) with a concentration on Risk Assessments. He teaches fire chiefs classes for the state fire marshal and has published over twenty articles on homeland security and fire service topics.

Glenn Leland is an intuitive and visionary strategist with significant experience developing ambulance service businesses, leading change, and creating shareholder value. His major strengths include general management, strategic planning, business development, and analytical decision-making. Leland, a persuasive communicator, has earned a successful track record in forming alliances, negotiating contracts, and getting results by engaging the talents and abilities of those he leads. He is an internationally recognized emergency medical services (EMS) management and system design expert. His work in EMS system design and business development includes projects on five continents. Glenn’s employment in EMS design and business development spans four decades. He has held numerous senior leadership roles, including President of the Fourth Party. (The Fourth Party was founded by Jack Stout. This business developed system status management and numerous other EMS innovations). Glenn served as CEO at TransCare serving five states including providing 15% of the 911 ambulance service in New York City and subsequently Chief Growth Officer at Priority Ambulance. He served as Chief Strategy Officer at Protransport-1 in Santa Rosa California and Senior Vice President at American Medical Response with global responsibilities. He also held the role of Chief Operating Officer at EMSA, which provides high-performance EMS for approximately 80% of Oklahoma State’s population. In addition to being a former paramedic, Glenn taught paramedic school and advanced life support at the Stanford University Medical School very early in his career. Glenn started his EMS career as an EMT in Los Angeles and attended paramedic school at Daniel Freeman Hospital. He is familiar with fire service EMS, by virtue of his paramedic internship at Los Angeles Fire Department and while stationed in the Daly City fire department. Glenn was the General Manager of Medevac when it was the private sector ambulance service contractor to Monterrey Park California, while James O. Page was Fire Chief, and the two became good friends. In leadership roles he has worked closely with fire service leaders and IAFC and IAFF executives across the country. In addition to his EMS acumen, He is a highly trained strategist and licensed practitioner of several planning frameworks and systems. Frameworks Leland utilizes in the Cal Fire Chief’s Ambulance Management course come from the Balanced Scorecard Institute, Miller Heiman Strategic Selling, Personalysis, and several framework and planning tools Glenn has innovated. He has a Master of Business Administration degree with an emphasis on Strategy from the prestigious Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. Kellogg was rated the number 1 business school in the world during his studies there.) Glenn was an Associate Faculty member teaching strategy at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) Graduate College for HealthCare, and has earned certifications from George Washington University. Glenn has a passion for teaching the next generation of leaders for EMS. He was the principal faculty for the Priority Ambulance Leadership Foundation Leader of Tomorrow Program from 2018 to 2022. He has teamed up with Fire Chief Ray Gayk to teach ambulance service management to a new generation of EMS managers for the Cal Fire Chiefs, starting Spring 2024.

Jacob Green is a nationally recognized leadership and organizational development expert. After 18 years in local government executive positions including Police, Fire, Economic Development, and City Management, Jacob took his expertise to the private sector, where he served as Managing Director of Leadership Development and Vice- President of Innovation for a national government consulting firm. Now serving as President and CEO of Jacob Green and Associates, Jacob and his team of local government experts provide a variety of public sector consulting services including strategic planning, project management, team building, executive coaching, crisis management and other specialized local government services. Jacob has received numerous awards for his work, including being a recipient of the National Caring Award in Washington, DC, alongside Dr. Jane Goodall, is the youngest recipient of the Gene Lentzner Humanitarian Award, recipient of the International City/County Management Association - International Management Scholarship, and received an honorary doctorate from Western University Medical School. His book “See Change Clearly” was an Amazon New Release Best Seller and reached #1 in five Amazon New Release business categories.

Jim Terrion is the Director of Investment Services for Firefighters First Credit Union. Jim has been working in the financial services industry for the past 33 years. He has worked in various capacities including Financial Advisor, National Sales Trainer, and Director positions within the industry. Jim is a Certified Financial Planner. This designation encompasses knowledge in such areas as investments, estate planning, tax planning, and other facets of the financial industry.

Julia Afrasiabi is the Base Hospital Supervisor at UCI Medical Center where she oversees the county’s busiest base station. In addition to supervising the base, she works closely with the local EMS agencies to collaborate and bolster the pre-hospital policies and their implementation. She is passionate about ensuring that healthcare professionals are supported as there continues to be a rise in PTSD and Burnout in the profession. She has developed innovated ways for the EMS agencies to communicate with her and the base hospital through collaboration and forward-thinking strategies. Julia has 17 years of nursing experience specializing in pre-hospital, trauma and emergency department care for both pediatrics and adults. Throughout her career she has been a bedside nurse, developed programs, and managed departments. She has her masters in nursing and is currently working on her masters in healthcare administration.

As many of you might know, Kevin Hines is a suicide survivor and mental health advocate. At the age of 19, he jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, a method of suicide attempt that has resulted in the death of over thousands people since the bridge was erected in 1937. Miraculously, Kevin is one of only 36 to survive, and in the (almost) 19 years since his nearly fatal try, he has become the link between the many mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, children, spouses, friends, and loved ones who have made similar attempts to put an end to their unimaginable suffering, some leaving those behind wondering why and what they could have done to help. Through his story, Kevin has developed a connection of hope and courage between life and death for people caught in the pain of living with serious mental illness, difficult life circumstances, and more. His invigorating honesty, activism, and understanding of the complex surroundings that contribute to mental illness and suicide have aided those who have lived through the darkness of societal stigma and discrimination.

Kim Zaky is the Burn Program Manager at UCI Health, overseeing Orange County's only American Burn Association verified Adult and Pediatric Regional Burn Center. Kim has over twenty years of nursing experience specializing in pre-hospital, trauma, and emergency department care. Prior to coming to UCI, Kim was a Base Hospital Supervisor, having opened Orange County's only pediatric-dedicated base station and secondary pediatric transfer program within the emergency department. Kim completed her graduate degree at UCLA with an MSN-FNP specialty and her doctoral degree at the University of Saint Augustine.

Laura Finlon is one of the Regional Managers for the HOPE Animal-Assisted Crisis Response (AACR) Pacific Southwest Region (PSW). Through HOPE she volunteers to give guidance and training to HOPE members along with being the liaison with the requesting agencies. This year HOPE AACR deployed dogs from the PSW to assist OES in San Bernardino. Our dogs deployed to the LAC to both Wrightwood and Yucaipa. Over the years we have been requested by the San Bernardino OES to have the dog teams deploy to provide support to first responders and to community members. In addition to her managerial role with the PSW region of HOPE, Laura is part of the Joshua Tree National Park Search and Rescue Team (JOSAR). During her tenure volunteering with JOSAR she has been part of the Search, Technical Rescue, Tracking, Dog, and the Family Liaison Teams.

Chief Hartwig was named Fire Chief of the Santa Barbara County Fire Department in February of 2019. He previously served as Fire Chief of the San Bernardino County Fire District. He was recognized as the 2017 California Fire Chief of the Year by the California State Fire Chiefs’ Association, and was appointed by then-Governor Brown to the California Commission on Emergency Medical Services on which he served from 2012 to 2021. Chief Hartwig served six years with the Rancho Cucamonga Fire Protection District as battalion chief and deputy chief. Mark began his fire career with San Bernardino County Fire in 1992.   In Santa Barbara County, Mark is working with area fire chiefs to combine separate and often fragmented dispatch functions for fire, rescue and EMS into one center. Chief Hartwig is also participating in a countywide effort to enhance and modernize EMS and ambulance transport to the people of Santa Barbara County.   Mark and his wife Holly live in Goleta and love everything Santa Barbara County has to offer.  Mark has a bachelor’s degree from Loma Linda University a master’s degree from Long Beach State. Mark graduated from Cal Poly Pomona as well and is an avid birdwatcher.

Mark is a Senior Account Executive with Envisio, a leading services and solutions provider for the public sector. He works directly with public sector leaders to help them put their Strategic Plans into action, drive evidence-based decision making, and to monitor and report on their performance and progress.  Over the past twenty years, Mark has worked with many Public Safety and Emergency Management agencies and has been a strong believer that trusted agencies build stronger communities. He takes deep pride in working with transformative leaders to help them realize their vision and to drive better and more efficient service delivery for their residents.  Mark has a Master of Science from the University of Alberta and began his career by using remote sensing and satellite imagery to analyze the impact of wildfires in Canada. In 2002, he was awarded the Space Imaging Award from the American Society for Photogrammetry & Remote Sensing for his work. Before joining Envisio, Mark worked directly with Fire, Police and EMS agencies by helping them to adopt Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) and other technologies to drive organizational performance and improve Public Safety.

Mike Canny, a seasoned Certified Public Accountant (CPA) since 1999, began his career with the Springfield Fire Department in 2003. In 2006, he founded Canny Accounting, LLC, providing expert financial guidance. In 2022, Mike joined Firefighters First Credit Union as the Vice President of Tax Services, bringing his wealth of experience to benefit firefighters and their families. Under his leadership, the Tax Services division was established to deliver tailored financial advice. Retiring from the Springfield Fire Department in 2023, Mike Canny's career reflects a dedication to both community service and financial excellence. Mike currently serves as the Vice President of Tax Services at Firefighters First Credit Union, continuing to make a lasting impact in the Fire Family.

Niki Stepanian, M.A. is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She received her Bachelor’s of Art degree in English from the University of LaVerne and Master’s of Art degree in Psychology from Chapman University. She specializes in first responders and currently works as a clinician with both Los Angeles County Fire Department Peer Support Team and The Counseling Team International. As the wife of a deputy fire chief, she is aware of the unique challenges the profession has on relationships and family. She specializes in working with various forms of trauma and is Certified in EMDR, CISM, and is a Certified Trauma Therapist. Niki provides on-call CISM to public safety departments in response to critical incidents, and has worked at the federal, state, county and local level for fire agencies who have experienced a line of duty death. She has also worked with agencies and individual first responders who were impacted by large scale incidents such as the Las Vegas Route 91 shooting, the San Bernardino school shooting,, the Dixie and Caldor fires, and the Broadway incident. Niki also works with departments to create and facilitate mental wellness trainings and helps to develop and assist peer support teams.

Pedro studied Architecture and Business Administration at the University of California, Berkeley. He has worked in the financial services industry since 2006 and joined Firehouse Financial in 2014. Pedro uses his in-depth knowledge of DROP programs, Deferred Compensation Plans, and Retirement Rollovers to create holistic financial plans that reduce risk and protect assets. He provides members valued second opinions on existing portfolios, including tax-advantaged investing strategies, college savings, estate planning and intergenerational asset transfers. Pedro is a Financial Advisor through CUSO Financial Services, L.P. (CFS). He holds his Series 7 and Series 66. He is securities licensed in: AZ, CA, CO, FL, HI, ID, KS, MI, MT, NE, NV, NM, NY, OR, PA, UT and WA. He is also insurance licensed in CA and KS.

Phil Davis is a Clinical Education and Resource Manager for MASIMO Corporation (masimo.com). Prior to joining MASIMO, he was the principal in his own consulting firm, specializing in two practice areas-- emergency management and executive development. In 2006 he retired as the Deputy Fire Chief of the Cosumnes Fire Department in California. He has also served as the Assistant Fire Chief for the UCDavis Fire Department. He was in the fire service for 28 years (and in emergency services for 33 years) and has worked as a firefighter/paramedic, captain, training officer, EMS coordinator and Chief Fire Officer. He has served on two type-2 incident management teams for CALFIRE in California. He was appointed to the California EMS Commission and served as the vice-chair of the Commission. After retiring from the fire department, Chief Davis was the regional Emergency Services Director for the American Red Cross, Capital Region Chapter. His experience also includes part-time adjunct faculty positions at the National Fire Academy, UC Davis and Chico State University as well as numerous California community colleges. He has authored several professional articles and magazine columns. He has previously written blogs for the on-line version of Emergency Management Magazine and the Sacramento ABC affiliate, News10.net. Twice nominated as Fire Instructor of the Year, he has presented dozens of classes in 47 states plus Canada and Guam. Chief Davis holds a bachelor of science degree in health science, a master’s degree in public administration and is certified as a chief officer, master instructor, haz mat technician, haz mat incident commander, haz mat safety officer, EMT and fire officer in California.

Ray Gayk has spent over 30 years in the Fire Service serving in positions ranging from Firefighter Paramedic, FEMA Task Force 6 USAR Team member, SWAT Paramedic, Captain, Battalion Chief, Deputy Chief and recently retired as the Fire Chief for the Ontario Fire Department. Over the last several years, Chief Gayk has been very involved in the California Fire Chiefs Association ultimately serving as the President of Cal Chiefs in 2021 to 2022. He has also presented at numerous conferences throughout the United States and has been nationally published in Fire Rescue Magazine over 40 times. After he retired from the Ontario Fire Department, he became the Senior Advisor for Cal Fire Chiefs Consulting & Training and has started his own company Cardo Consulting Inc.

Rusty Jacks retired in 2022 after 29 years of law enforcement service.  At the time of his retirement, Rusty was an Assistant Chief with the Tyler, Texas Police Department, located in North-East Texas.  Rusty has been adjunct instructor for the ALERRT program since 2006 and has had the honor of teaching active shooter response across the US.  After retiring from law enforcement, Rusty took a full-time job as a regional coordinator for the ALERRT program.  He currently coordinates active attack training for the south-eastern region of Texas.

Sean has spent 11 years in the mortgage industry, both with a large bank and now with Firefighters First Credit Union, helping homebuyers and homeowners across the western states. He currently manages the real estate department sales team for the credit union and assists in improving processes and developing new products for the membership they serve.

Steven is a Registered Nurse and Paramedic with nearly 20 years of experience in various healthcare settings, including 911 EMS, Community Hospitals, Regional Trauma Centers, and Critical Access facilities. Currently serving as a Flight Nurse in the Bay Area, he also maintains his skills and versatility by working in hospital settings. Steven has actively volunteered with the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA), contributing chapters to both the 8th and 9th editions of the Trauma Nursing Core Course (TNCC). He serves as a Regional Director for the Cal ENA Trauma Committee and is the Treasurer Elect for the Bay Area Chapter of the ENA.

Terilee Povall, RN, MICN has dedicated the last sixteen years to improving the delivery of emergency care for patients from Long Beach to the Coachella Valley. Now a Nurse Educator and Board-Certified Nurse Coach, Terilee has most recently committed herself to offering health & wellness support for her Hospital and EMS peers who work diligently caring for the most vulnerable among us. She is the mother to three amazing sons and the wife to an amazing husband, and she understands the importance of checking in on herself and others to manage and prevent professional burnout.

Tim is currently a Commercial Business Development Officer at Firefighters First and has been with Firefighters First for nearly 10 years, with over 20 years in real estate lending. Tim excels in building partnerships and finding solutions. Passionate about helping clients succeed, Tim thrives on challenges in finance and real estate. His goal is to deliver results that exceed expectations, earning trust and respect in the Firefighter industry.

Tobin has a variety of critical care, emergency, and pre-hospital experience spanning the last two decades in both stretcher-side and leadership/education positions. Tobin has worked in ground, fixed-wing, rotor-wing, and cruise ship nursing in the transport environment. Tobin is a well-recognized and sought-after educator who frequently lectures at the local, state, and national levels. He is known for making even the most complex concepts seem easily understandable. Currently, Tobin is a nurse educator for a large critical care transport program and works part-time with cardiology patients in a hospital clinic. Tobin's education includes a bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree in nursing. Nursing education and patient safety are two of Tobin's passions, and his doctoral work included the first-of-its-kind research looking at high-risk, low-volume error reduction utilizing targeted education interventions for flight nurses. Tobin has contributed to several textbooks, including ASTNA's Critical Care Transport Core Curriculum and the Critical Care Transport Certifictation Examination Review Manual.

Tyler McCulloch, MSN RN MICN, is the current President of the California Emergency Nurses Association.  He has served as Inland Empire Chapter president for the last 7 years.  He is a clinical supervisor at Southwest Inland Valley Hospital in Wildomar, CA.  Over the past 6 years, he has grown to love event medicine, where he has worked music festivals with over 80,000 attendees.  Tyler holds a master’s degree in nursing leadership.  He frequents the state capitol as an advocate for Emergency Nurses across the state.

Dr. Wayne McAfee is a distinguished leader and visionary, serving as the Founder and CEO of The Organizational Network. With over four decades of experience, Dr. McAfee and his adept team have delivered exceptional consulting services to numerous public and private entities. Their unwavering dedication and profound understanding of diverse work cultures across California have garnered widespread acclaim. Having previously served as a Human Resources Director and with a portfolio encompassing multiple successful retail ventures, Dr. McAfee brings a wealth of expertise to his role. He played a pivotal role in the establishment of The Counseling Team International and possesses a remarkable ability to infuse workplaces with positivity and vitality. The Organizational Network is renowned for its comprehensive array of services catering to a broad spectrum of clients, ranging from small enterprises to Fortune 500 corporations, medical institutions, educational establishments, and governmental agencies at the local, county, and state levels. Specializing in leadership development, strategic planning, retreat facilitation, goal setting, communication enhancement, conflict resolution, wellness promotion, and job matching utilizing validated assessments, The Organizational Network is committed to empowering organizations to achieve peak performance. Central to their approach is the utilization of innovative validated assessment tools, providing invaluable insights to municipalities and private enterprises alike, enabling them to overcome challenges and cultivate highly effective teams.