With Firehouse World 2020 in Las Vegas less than a month away, don't miss your chance to register for the industry's best in education and training.
With the nation's top instructors on hand for the conference, which takes place Feb. 24-27 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, you'll learn tactical and leadership skills from the best, both in the classroom and during hands-on training, which includes one-of-a-kind courses on elevator and crane rescues.
You'll also see the latest innovations in personal protective equipment, apparatus, and drone and thermal-imaging tech, among many other advancements, by visiting with hundreds of exhibitors on our show floor.
Our Big Room session this year covers one of the most timely topics in the industry today: mass casualty incidents. Retired Clark County, NV, Fire Chief Greg Cassell will be on hand to discuss his leadership role and the response to the Oct. 1, 2017 mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival on the Vegas Strip that claimed the lives of 58 people and injured hundreds more. Chief Cassell will share some lessons learned and recommendations designed to prepare your department and personnel for an active shooter/mass patient incident.
The keynote address during opening ceremonies will be delivered by Dennis LeGear, owner of LeGear Engineering F.D. Consulting, and is entitled "Hydrants to Nozzles: Knowledge & Understanding are Essential to Critical Flow." LeGear will challenge fire service leadership to ensure that specification and layout of fire stream development equipment drives proper strategies and tactics on the fireground.
With dozens of classroom sessions scheduled over the course of several days, you'll gain insights from industry veterans who can open your mind to new ideas and tactics while also reiterating many tried and true concepts learned long ago in the fire academy.
Some of the classes we are most excited about providing for you this year include:
- "Paradise Lost: Life on The Fire Line with Oregon Strike Team 17." Lebanon, OR, Fire District Division Chief Jason Bolen will offer a first-hand account from the 2018 Camp Fire in Paradise, CA, which consumed 240 square miles of terrain, destroyed nearly 19,000 structures and killed 85 civilians.
- "That’s the Way We've Always Done It." Charleston, SC, Battalion Chief and Deputy Director of Training David Griffin will ask some tough questions on why this phrase continues to be used and how it can have deadly consequences.
- "Engine Company Operations - 'Gallons Per Second.'" Escambia County, FL, Battalion Chief Curt Isakson will use this session to focus on exceeding fire flow needs and still managing water during the crucial initial hoseline advancement in an interior offensive attack.
- "That Doesn't Seem Right: Recognizing and Reacting to Fireground Red Flags." Las Vegas Fire Capt. Thomas Cox and Las Vegas Battalion Chief James Suarez offer this interactive presentation with a focus on recognizing when the "routine" call is no longer "routine" and how to adjust your tactics accordingly.
- "The New Officer’s Guide to the Engine Company." This class with St. Paul, MN, Fire Capt. Jonathan Hall will examine several critical areas that must be addressed to establish a proficient engine company.
- "Rapid Rapport for Rapid Responders" with former firefighter and police Sgt. Kerry Mensior will help first responders develop skills to build a rapport and communicate with the public in many key and critical situations.
- "Social Media for Today's Fire Service." Duxbury, MA. Fire Capt. Robert Reardon will outline detailed and informative social media strategies that can help promote what your department is doing.
- "Is That Your Final Answer? Ethics in the Fire Service." Louisville, OR, Battalion Chief Diane Schroeder's class is about the choices we make, the consequences of those choices, and the impact they have on fire service culture.
- "Hell on Wheels" with retired Bergenfield, NJ, Fire Capt. James Hirsch presents scenarios and case histories to help attendees who encounter some less common or out-of-the-ordinary vehicles and equipment during a response.
We're also offering an extremely vital 8-hour class entitled "Behavioral Health Fundamentals for the Fire Service" led by Brian Crandell with Montana Fire Services Training and Behavioral Health Specialist Alana Brunacini, the granddaughter of late Chief Alan Brunacini. This session will define the relationship between fire service organizations and behavioral health from three primary perspectives: internal, external and leadership-dependent behavioral health.
Visit the Firehouse World website to register, and we look forward to seeing you in Las Vegas.
