Tuesday Conference

Check back often for updated information.

Conference sessions are 90 minutes in length, unless otherwise noted. Program subject to change.

Continuing education credits, from East LA College, are available to all conference attendees. Attendees are encouraged to apply. Your participation benefits you and the fire service. Online registration for these college CE’s is now closed. However, you can still apply for them when you arrive at the convention center. Registration sheets will be available in each class as well as the CSFA booth and select conference locations. (CE’s are free to all California residents; out-of-state residents are required to pay an out-of-state fee.) Attendees that apply for credit will receive .5 units.

March 2, 2010
8:00 AM	Taking Care of Our Own Ron Siarnicki, Fire Chief (ret.), Prince George County Fire/EMS Department, Executive Director, NFFF 2-Hour Class Category: Safety Fire departments don't know when they will have a line-of-duty-death or serious injury. Is there a plan in place? Are personnel records current? Do the fire chief and other members know how to make timely and proper notification to survivors? This session will provide valuable information and insights that will help your department be prepared for any situation. Attendees will receive a comprehensive resource guide for handling line-of-duty deaths.
8:00 AM	The Return of Abbottville - Is Your Community Ready for a Disaster? Don Abbott, Owner, Command Emergency Response Training Class limit: 40 students PLEASE RESERVE YOUR SPOT Call 1-800-827-8009 and ask for registration 4-Hour Class Category: Preplanning A dynamic tabletop scenario to help responders at all levels and positions, including fire, police, EMA, utilities, government officials and EMS, learn and practice the various roles and responsibilities needed to rescue the injured and restore order after a major disaster.
8:30 AM	10 Steps to Structure Collapse (And a Review of Haiti Operations) Larry Collins, Battalion Chief , USAR Task Force 103, LA County FD Category: Collapse This session will cover important information for first responders, company officers, and chief officers charged at structure collapse emergencies, including 10 steps for commanding structure collapse operations. The lessons presented will reflect the experiences of the U.S. fire and rescue services (and those in other nations) during the past two decades of urban search and rescue and collapse rescue operations. A specific emphasis of this presentation will be response to terrorist attacks resulting in structural failure.
8:30 AM	Confined Space Rescue: Current Concepts, Trends and Paradigms Kent Freeman, Captain, Roseville, CA FD Category: Specialized Rescue This program will cover the mandatory components of confined space rescue as outlined in the regulation, discuss options for entry, look at new innovations and techniques as well as use case histories to reveal both desired and unfortunate conclusions to rescues. The program will also provide a glimpse at the recently completed Confined Space Rescue Technician curriculum by California State Fire Training.
8:30 AM	Developing Exceptional Fire Officers…Critical Areas of Focus Dennis Compton, Chief (ret.), Mesa, AZ, FD, International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA) Category: Leadership This session explores key areas of focus and critical leadership concepts that will contribute to the success of fire officers and simply improve their performance. It is well established that fire departments cannot outperform the capability of their leaders. Current and aspiring fire officers of all ranks will find this session unique and practical.
8:30 AM	Fatal LA Freight Train vs. Commuter Train Joe Castro, Battalion Chief, Commander, Tactical Training Section, Los Angeles, CA FD Category: Lessons Learned In September, 2008 a Metrolink passenger train carrying 225 commuters from Downtown Los Angeles crashed into a Union Pacific freight train on a sharp curve in the Chatsworth area of Los Angeles, killing 25 passengers and seriously injuring over 100. You'll hear firsthand the account of the first LAFD Chief Officer to arrive at the actual train location. Battalion Chief Joe Castro was the Operations Section Chief supervising all tactical operations in the initial action operation period. Chief Castro's presentation will focus on the case study itself, first arriving officers responsibilities, tactical considerations, operating with limited resources, executive level ICS, and unified command concepts.
8:30 AM	High-Rise Firefighting - Part One Curtis Massey, Firefighter (ret.), President, Massey Disaster Planning Category: Strategy & Tactics Refining the most effective use of attack lines that match today's fire loads; a thorough review of base building systems and their advantages/disadvantages; understanding key tactical issues such as stack effect, dewatering, "attack and evac/search stairs"; firefighter safety and survival tips relative to high-rises; case studies of recent major skyscraper fires and how to conduct your own high-rise training evolution.
8:30 AM	How to Build a Successful Academy Fitness Program from A to Z Michael Contreras, Captain, Wellness & Fitness Program, Coordinator, Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA); Jeff Hoey, Captain, Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) Category: Fitness All who attend will learn the needed components to build a successful academy fitness program. The course will teach how to prepare recruits for the academy setting, how to evaluate incoming recruits and how to continue evaluations throughout the academy. Also, the course will cover fitness programming during the academy, and continued encouragement of the probationary firefighter throughout their career. By following the fitness programming and evaluations, the participant will learn how to get the most from the recruit, no matter how much time is allotted for fitness.
8:30 AM	How to Kick Butt in Your Panel Interview Kimberly Alyn, Best-Selling Author, International Fire Service speaker Category: Interview Process Kimberly Alyn has coached countless firefighters to the top of the list in the promotional process in the fire service. She will be sharing the fast track to success in the panel interview portion of the process. Topics include: common mistakes people make, what raters look for in candidates, what raters mark you down for, and how to set yourself apart from other candidates.
8:30 AM	Residential Tactical Template for Firefighting John Brunacini, Fire Captain (ret.), Phoenix, AZ FD, Nick Brunacini, South Shift Commander (ret.), Phoenix, AZ FD Category: Strategy & Tactics This session will look at the eight main critical factors for residential structures. We will also take an in-depth look at the building techniques used to construct both old and new homes as well as modern fire behavior in the residential setting. In this session participants will practice in the context of "real world" tactical simulations.
8:30 AM	Sacramento Near Miss of Four Firefighters Jeff Helvin, Captain, Sacramento FD, CA Category: Major Incidents As other companies began to arrive smoke conditions changed drastically forcing firefighters out of the building, which separated the crew members of Engine 15. Two firefighters exited the front door and one bailed out a second-floor window a "MAY-DAY" was called for the Captain of Engine 15 who was trapped on the second floor. Come and hear the full story and the lessons that were learned during this incident.
8:30 AM	U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) State & Local Purchasing Solutions Patricia Reed, Program Analyst, Michael Kraynak, Lead Merchandise Specialist The federal government's procurement expert, GSA, offers several programs, under which state and local entities may access federal contracts. The GSA Wildland Fire, Cooperative Purchasing, and Disaster Recovery Purchasing programs bring the federal government's buying power to the local level. This course provides an overview of each program, the laws and agreements that allow state and local use, and the process and guidelines nonfederal entities must follow in order to participate.
8:30 AM	Wizzy Stuff and Useful Options for Your New Rig Bob Barraclough, President, The Best Fire Apparatus Resource, Inc., Plano, TX; Alan Saulsbury, President, Fire Spec Services, Inc., Homer, NY Category: Purchasing "One-ups-man-ship" is alive and well when purchasing new apparatus. Just look at some of the new apparatus on display at some of the recent shows. Our speakers will be showing a vast array of photographs of some of the more interesting options now being specified on new apparatus. From the traditional chrome bell to the new low amp draw LED light bars, these two gents will share the "best of the best" with the attendees. To keep within your budget, approximate costs for the options will be provided.
1:45 PM	Blue Card Command Training Program for Structural Firefighting Alan Brunacini, Fire Chief (ret.), Phoenix, AZ FD, Nick Brunacini, South Shift Commander (ret.), Phoenix, AZ FD; John Brunacini, Fire Captain (ret.), Phoenix, AZ FD Category: Command Training Your barber has to have a license to cut your hair but chances are the IC in charge of your structural firefighting operations didn't go through any kind of structured training program designed to prepare him/her self for managing high-hazard incident operations. Safe and effective hazard zone operations do not happen by accident, they are the product of experience and training. A Blue Card Program not only institutionalizes and standardizes training; it also captures firefighting experience in a way where it can be passed from one generation of firefighter to the next.
1:45 PM	Entrapment Avoidance in the Urban Wildland Interface Bret Davidson, Battalion Chief, Rancho Santa Fe, CA FD Category: Wildland Tactics This session is designed to show the challenges of global warming and its effect on wildland fires. This class will review bad human behavior that can lead to poor situational awareness and under estimation of fire behavior. A review of the Santiago Burn Over in Orange County, CA, and a near miss in the Corral Fire in Los Angeles County will be conducted.
1:45 PM	Fire Service Leadership for the 21st Century Kimberly Alyn, Best-Selling Author, International Fire Service speaker Category: Leadership The bar has been raised on the standards for leadership, performance, and accountability in the 21st Century. This session will show you what it takes to step up to those standards and be a leader who creates enthusiasm for vision. Leadership theory and concepts will be examined as they relate to the fire service. The issues facing fire departments in the 21st Century will be discussed and how you can face those issues as a leader in the fire service.
1:45 PM	Firefighter Safety Through the 16 Life Safety Initiatives William D. Hayes, National Advocate Program Manager, NFFF, Director of Public Information & Community Affairs,DC Fire & EMS; John Price, Captain/Paramedic, Anaheim FD, CA; Rich Marinucci, Fire Chief, Northville Township, MI FD Category: Safety Based on NFFF's 16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives, this class is designed to change the American fire service culture from accepting line-of-duty injuries and deaths as a normal, inevitable reality to one of improved safety awareness, institutionalized safety attitudes and behaviors and conformity to best model practices and effective risk management procedures. This class specifically addresses the impact that an LODD has on families, fellow workers, the organization, and the community. It also provides a renewed focus on the need for firefighters and fire officers to change fundamental attitudes, and behaviors in order to prevent line of duty injury and death. All sixteen initiatives are presented and examined to identify key individual and organizational action steps for implementing them.
1:45 PM	Firefighters and Hostile Fire Events Darryl Cleveland, Firefighter 2/Paramedic, Cal Fire, CA Category: Safety We will look at recent case studies of firefighter fatalities and near misses as a result of the extreme burning characteristics of the modern fire environment. Participants will have the opportunity to see and discuss live fire footage and discuss tactics and strategies that will help chief and line officers make better decisions on the fireground and create a more safe and effective firefight. The ultimate goal of the course is to prevent firefighter injury and death.
1:45 PM	First-Arriving Unit Operations: The Keys to Success Richard Blatus, Battalion Chief, FDNY Category: Strategy & Tactics This interactive class will motivate discussion on the importance of the decisions made by the first-arriving units. Chiefs Blatus and Richardson will lead the students through a series of different scenarios which will provoke their critical thinking skills as they relate to available manpower on the first-arriving unit. These exercises will be interactive and promise to stretch the students' imaginations to their limit.
1:45 PM	Introducing the Contemporary Fireground Mark Emery, Battalion Chief, Woodinville, WA Fire & Life Safety District Category: Strategy & Tactics During the last 40 years the North American fire service missed a number of significant changes to the traditional fireground. These changes represent a call to action for the fire service to adapt strategically and tactically. You will learn what these changes are and contemporary tactical alternatives that will achieve traditional strategic outcomes.
1:45 PM	Ready, Set, Go! Don Forsyth, Battalion Chief, Orange County Fire Authority, CA, Todd Lockwood, Fire Captain, Orange County Fire Authority, CA Category: Wildland Firefighting A Landmark Change in the way the California Fire Service is attempting to educate the home owners and the public to do their part to protect their own lives and property from the frequent devastating Wildland Fires in California. This program will provide an overview of this novel new approach the Orange County Fire Authority has implemented. We will cover the philosophy of this new program, comparison to the old method, the new materials developed, and the new method of delivery using In-Service Fire Companies to educate the public who live within the Highest Wildland Fire Severity Zones.
1:45 PM	Regional Volunteer Firefighter Academies Devon Wells, Assistant Fire Chief, Hood River FD, OR Category: Volunteer Training Training volunteer firefighters is a topic of national significance. The first step is to train them so they feel safe, competent, and ready to serve the public. This session will cover a proven way to train new volunteer firefighters and get them "hooked? on the fire service. It provides a pattern to follow so no training step is missed. If a recruit does miss a course, it is documented and easy to track so they can return to the topic and make-up the material. It will also cover the use of distance education and e-learning as a part of an academy.
1:45 PM	Responsibilities of the First-Due Company Officer Steve Prziborowski, Battalion Chief, Santa Clara County, CA FD Category: Leadership This session will assist fire service personnel who may find themselves as the first-arriving company officer at an emergency scene. The first-due company officer has the potential to make or break an incident, as they are the one that will be making the most important decisions that have to be made upon arrival. Given a variety of simulated incidents, attendees will have an opportunity to perform size-up, establish incident objectives, assign companies, establish tactical objectives, learn from the experiences of other attendees, and most importantly, learn how to effectively command and control an incident as the first-due company officer.
1:45 PM	What do You Need to Carry on Your Engine and Truck and How Should You Mount This on Your Rig? Mike Wilbur, Lieutenant, FDNY; Tom Shand, Contributing Editor, Firehouse Magazine Category: Purchasing This program will cover not only the basic NPFA 1901 equipment but those tools, equipment and appliances that can make your job easier and safer when operating on the fireground or any significant incident.
1:45 PM	What the……!!!! We Can Do Better at Structure Fires Steve Bernocco, Lieutenant, Seattle, WA FD, Phil Jose, Captain, Seattle, WA FD Category: Strategy & Tactics This is a dynamic, 100% video-driven presentation that focuses on the tactics of the first due companies at structure fires. Students will watch dynamic videos of structure fires and then discuss the various Engine and Truck tactics that could be used to fight these fires, leading to a discussion of first-in critical decisions and "best practices" tactics. This is an Engine and Truck Company tactics class unlike any other.