Anthony Rowett, Jr. is a Captain with the Mobile (AL) Fire Rescue Department. He has been in the fire service for 17 years. He spent his first 3 years in the fire service as a firefighter with the Ogdensburg (NJ) Volunteer Fire Department before being hired by the Mobile Fire Rescue Department, where he has worked for the past 14 years. He has multiple degrees in both fire science and emergency services management. He is a graduate of the Alabama Smoke Diver course. He is the owner of Port City Fire Training. He is the President of the Alabama Firefighters Training Foundation. He is also an industrial firefighting instructor at Gulf Coast Emergency Response Academy. He is a contributing author for multiple fire service publications including Fire Engineering, Fire Rescue, Firehouse, Fire Department Training Network, and Firemanship Journal. He has instructed at multiple fire service conferences including FDIC, Firehouse Expo, Firehouse World, Water on the Fire, High-Rise Operations Conference, 3rd Coast Conference, and others as well as for individual fire departments. He is a member of the NFPA 14: Standard for the Installation of Standpipe and Hose Systems Committee. He is also a co-host on the Generation Engine podcast on Fire Engineering Blog Talk Radio.

Beds to Bundles: The Flexibility of Stretching Hoselines

The initial attack line is the backbone of every fireground operation and will have a greater impact on the outcome of a fire than any other fireground operation. “As the first line goes so does the fire” - so we must get it right. In doing so, all other operations must support the initial attack line. This course focuses on multiple aspects of the hoseline operations including the target flow rate, attack package selection, and estimating the stretch. Will the second line be a backup line or a second attack line? What about the third line? What about alternate stretches like rope stretches and lines over ladders? During this course, we will discuss tactical decision making for fires in single family dwellings, multiple family dwellings, commercial and industrial buildings, as well as attic fires, cockloft fires, and basement fires. This class will also tackle the topic of standpipe systems and fires and standpipe equipped buildings.

Mickey Farrell is a third-generation firefighter with 26 years experience in the fire service, the past 20 with the New York Fire Department. He is a nationally certified instructor specializing in firefighter survival at the Probationary School and the founder of Top Floor Tactics, where he combines his passion for the job with real-life experience.

Fire Academy to the Fire Floor: Why the Disconnect?

Confronts a dilemma that has haunted the fire service for many decades. The old ”you’ll learn that in the firehouse,” mentality has set young motivated firefighters up for failure. Sadly, not every firefighter has the opportunity to be a part of an organization steeped in pride, tradition, and training. This class will begin to connect the dots not only for that lost firefighter trying to find his way, but the senior man looking for a rebirth into the job. 

Nick Esposito is a second-generation firefighter who started his fire service career in 1989, with a small volunteer fire department in his hometown of Verplanck, New York.  He began his professional firefighting career in 1996, working for the Town of Rye Brook, New York Fire Department, a suburb outside of New York City.  In 1999 he was hired by the Bridgeport, Connecticut Fire Department, and has worked his way up to through the ranks, taking on many line and staff functions, and currently serves as the Captain of their Rescue Company.  He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Safety and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration. Nick is the owner of Truck Tactics Training and teaches on the regional and national levels.  He has published articles related to aerial apparatus operations and building construction, both online and in trade journals.  He can be found posting truck company-related information on his Facebook and Instagram pages. He is also a co-founder of the Facebook page, Truck Floor Training.

Developing the Mindset of an Offensive Aerial Operator

Success or failure on the fire ground for a ladder company is often measured by how well an aerial operator initially positions the apparatus.  Ladder truck placement at an emergency scene is often the "make or break" moment for any operator.  The individual skills and abilities of the aerial apparatus operator can dictate how successful a truck company will be in achieving their goals at a fire scene.  Aerial apparatus are typically placed to allow members to work offensively in order to affect a rescue, gain entry to the upper floors of a structure, or to access the roof for vertical ventilation operations.  These concepts seem pretty simple and straight forward, but often we find that the actual execution at a fire scene can quickly become much more difficult.  This class aims to prepare aerial operators to be able to systematically approach an emergency scene in order to achieve an effective apparatus placement that will allow the ladder crew to make a positive impact on the outcome of any emergency.

Howard Rinewalt is a 17 year member of the East Montgomery County, Texas Fire Department. He moved through each rank from Volunteer Firefighter to paid Fire Chief and served as Incident Command over a Unified Command Structure for Hurricane Harvey. All of Howard’s experience is in Rural and Suburban strategies and tactics. He is a certified Firefighter advanced through the State of Texas, Fire Instructor 2, Fire Officer 4, and Hazmat Tech. Howard owns FD Tactics Training which combines flexible program options, excellent content, training, resources, a technical and hands-on learning approach, with great instructors! Locally, Howard lectures and trains at Fire Departments across the great state of Texas. Nationally, he is a well-known instructor and presenter who speaks at Conferences and Fire Departments across the country.

When Seconds Count - This lecture is meant to challenge you. It is our goal to give you the tools and skills necessary to evaluate your current tactical deployment in a comparison-based method. We do this in an effort to confirm that your methods are the quickest, most efficient, and safest for your crew and most importantly, the citizens. This intensive training covers force multipliers, nozzles, ladders, clean cabs, fitness, proactive preparation, & a multitude of other topics.