Speaker Lineup at FDIC 2025
The FDIC International 2025 is right around the corner. This conference, which is April 7 – 12 in Indianapolis, provides fire professionals—particularly leaders and instructors—a venue to collaborate and learn.
With a diverse range of speakers covering various critical topics, this conference is designed to enhance your teaching skills and expand your knowledge.
Public Safety Group is proud to have several affiliated speakers at this year’s event, covering topics such as building construction, mental health, professional development, volunteer service, vehicle extrication, improving instruction, and improving decision making.
Session: Indy Building Construction: Walking the Talk
Monday, April 7, 2025: 1:30-5:30 PM
Speakers: Glenn Corbett, Asst. Chief (Ret.) — Waldwick (NJ) Fire Department; Paul Dansbach, Fire Marshal — Rutherford, NJ
Glenn P. Corbett is an associate professor at John Jay College in New York City and assistant chief (ret.) with the Waldwick (NJ) Fire Department with 43 years of service. A recipient of the Tom Brennan Lifetime Achievement award, he is the author of Brannigan's Building Construction for the Fire Service with Navigate Advantage Access, Sixth Edition.
Session info from FDIC: In this workshop, participants will start with an overview of the different types of construction found in downtown Indianapolis. Following this, they will move outside to examine the buildings firsthand. Special focus will be given to the 1890 Bowen-Merrill building fire, which tragically claimed the lives of 13 Indianapolis firefighters.
Session: It’s Not the Calls: Organizational Leadership and Mental Wellness
Tuesday, April 8, 2025: 1:30-5:30 PM
Speaker: Dena Ali, Battalion Chief, Raleigh (NC) Fire Department
Dena Ali is a battalion chief with the Raleigh (N.C.) Fire Department and the program manager for behavioral health with the First Responder Center for Excellence. She has a master’s degree from the University of North Carolina Pembroke, where her research focused on firefighter suicide. Ali is an adjunct instructor with the National Fire Academy and the founder and director of North Carolina Peer Support.
Battalion Chief Ali spoke to Public Safety Group on the topic of mental health in the fire service.
Session info from FDIC: This workshop explores the crucial role of leadership in supporting the mental health of first responders. It emphasizes the importance of fostering a supportive organizational culture through effective leadership, open communication, and trust building. Rather than just responding to traumatic events, the course focuses on proactive measures leaders can take to promote psychological well-being within their teams. Participants will delve into emerging theories on suicide prevention, debunk common myths, and understand the importance of preplanning. The workshop also addresses the rising prevalence of PTSD among emergency service professionals, providing insights into its symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment. Evidence-based research will guide discussions on the origins of trauma and paths to resilience, highlighting strategies like mindfulness, rest, and psychological safety. Leaders will acquire practical skills for conducting difficult conversations, offering peer support, and developing mental wellness resources, ultimately fostering healthier, more resilient teams.
Session: Training Officer and Instructor Graduate School 2025: Company Level Training Programs
Tuesday, April 8, 2025: 1:30-5:30 PM
Speaker: Forest Reeder, Instructor — International Society of Fire Service Instructors (ISFSI)
Forest Reeder draws from his experience as a fire chief, chief training officer, national instructor, and curriculum advisor in his local and national speaking events. He was named the George D. Post Instructor of the Year by the International Society of Fire Service Instructors and Instructor of the Year by the Illinois Society of Fire Science Instructors. He has served as a board member of the Illinois Fire Chiefs Education and Research Foundation.
Reeder has authored Fire Department Incident Safety Officer, Fourth Edition and Foundations of Instructional Delivery: Fire and Emergency Services Instructor, Third Edition.
Session Info from FDIC: The training team from the International Society of Fire Service Instructors (ISFSI) is set to deliver a 4-hour workshop focused on professional development and continuing education for fire and emergency services instructors at all levels. This session is helpful for instructors from any department, offering a chance to evaluate their current skills and acquire the latest methods in skill retention, error correction, and performance assessment. This workshop is a great opportunity to enhance your training sessions, ensuring that your firefighters can perform their duties more safely and efficiently.
Session: Training First-Due Volunteer Company Officers
Wednesday, April 9, 2025: 1:30-3:15 PM
Speaker: Joe Nedder, Deputy Chief of Training, Mendon (Mass.) Fire Department
Named the George D. Post Instructor of the Year award from the International Society of Fire Service Instructors, Deputy Chief Joe Nedder joined the fire service in 1977 and later became an instructor for the Massachusetts Fire Academy, where he developed and implemented a Firefighter I/II program for volunteers and on-call firefighters. In 2008, he formed his training organization Cross St Associates, focusing on training for volunteer and small organizations to meet required standards.
Deputy Chief Nedder is the author of Fire Service Rapid Intervention Crews.
Session Info from FDIC: Officer training is always in high demand. However, we often overlook the significant differences between the needs of large departments and those of volunteers. Many volunteer and on-call fire departments have their training needs sidelined under the notion that "one size fits all." Volunteer departments are unique and require tailored training. Most of these departments handle small jobs with few fire calls. Yet, national fire officer training often does not address these specific needs. This class is designed to acknowledge the requirements of the volunteer service and provide a foundation of essential skills for volunteer officers to be safe and effective on the fireground.
Session: Extrication and EMS: Coordinating Rescue and Clinical Care
Wednesday, April 9, 2025: 3:30-5:15 PM
Speaker: Rommie Duckworth, Captain, Ridgefield (CT) Fire Department
Rom Duckworth is a dedicated emergency responder, author, and educator with more than thirty years of experience working in career and volunteer fire departments, hospital healthcare systems, and private emergency medical services.
Captain Duckworth has authored or contributed to several instructional materials, including:
Session info from FDIC: Effective vehicle extrication requires a unique collaboration between rescue and emergency medical personnel. By incorporating key victim assessment information into the extrication size-up, first responders can enhance their strategic and tactical plans. To save a patient, rather than just dismantling a vehicle, rescue and EMS must understand each other's roles and work together seamlessly. This class adopts a real-world approach to integrate EMS care considerations into the extrication strategy, demonstrating how critical trauma from vehicle collisions can be swiftly and effectively managed by first responders. It will help first responders make better strategic extrication decisions and deliver immediate life-saving treatment more safely, reducing the time from patient contact to patient removal to patient surgery.
*Eligible for CEH/CAPCE Credit
Session: Become a Better Instructor
Thursday, April 10, 2025: 10:30 AM – 12:15 PM
Speaker: Becki Rowan-White, Battalion Chief, Chanhassen (Minn.) Fire Department
Becki Rowan-White has served 20 years in the fire service in every level from firefighter to chief officer, including time as a statewide Fire and Life Safety Educator. She also serves as an advisory board member for the Minnesota Board of Firefighter Training and Education and a K-12 Education Program Manager with Underwriters Laboratories Research Institutes (ULRI).
Battalion Chief Rowan-White contributed to Fundamentals of Firefighter Skills and Hazardous Materials Response, Fifth Edition.
Session info from FDIC: A poorly crafted presentation or weak presentation skills can undermine an instructor's credibility and hinder students' ability to retain the presented information, which is crucial in emergency situations. This class aims to boost participants' confidence in developing and delivering presentations. It will help identify audience needs based on learning styles and brain research and teach participants how to use both new and traditional instructional methods to enhance retention, including which visual elements to use and avoid. Additionally, participants will learn how to effectively deliver a message that leaves a lasting impression. This class goes beyond merely pointing out bad examples; it delves into why making these changes will improve the retention rate of the audience.
Session: Type III Construction: It's Not Ordinary Anymore
Tuesday, April 10, 2025: 1:30-3:15 PM
Speaker: Glenn Corbett, Asst. Chief (Ret.) — Waldwick (NJ) Fire Department
Session info from FDIC: This class will explore the evolution of Type III construction over the last 200 years, highlighting recent building code changes that now allow for significantly more wood in these structures. It will cover all aspects of "ordinary construction" and the associated firefighting challenges. The session will compare older legacy "Main Street" buildings with the new iterations of Type III construction, focusing on the new hazards posed by changes in wall assemblies and floor systems.
Session: The Volunteer Fire Officer’s Problem Solving and Decision-Making Toolbox
Friday, April 11, 2025: 10:30 AM – 12:15 PM
Speaker: Dave Casey, Superintendent (Ret.) — Florida State Fire College
Dave Casey has served as Florida's State Fire Training Director and the Chief of Clay County (FL) Fire Rescue. He rose through the ranks in the career Sunrise Fire Rescue Department and the volunteer Plantation Fire Department.
Superintendent Casey co-authored Live Fire Training: Principles and Practice, Second Edition.
Session info from FDIC: The volunteer fire officer, much like their career counterparts, must make time-sensitive and often critical personnel decisions. This class engages participants in decision-making processes to address various real-world scenarios in the firehouse, in public settings, and on the fireground. The discussions will cover how to recognize situations, engage effectively, and resolve issues efficiently.