CAL CHIEFS ANNUAL CONFERENCE
OCTOBER 15-17, 2024 • ORANGE COUNTY
PRELIMINARY PROGRAM*
*Program subject to change.
*Program subject to change.
Tuesday, October 15, 2024
10:00 am – 10:45 am
Opening Ceremony and President’s Welcome
President Mark Heine, Fire Chief, Sonoma County Fire District
Breakout Sessions:
10:45 am – 11:35 am
The Future Vision for a Statewide All-Hazards
common operating picture - NextGen SCOUT and where the program is heading Brian Marshall, State Fire & Rescue Chief, Cal OES
Current Topics in FD Financing
Dmitry Semenov, Principal, Municipal Strategies, LLC
Don Butz, Fire Chief, Lakeside Fire Protection District
Reed Glyer, Shareholder, Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth
Nicki Tallman, Managing Director, Oppenheimer
What is the Value of your EMS System?
Ray Gayk, Fire Chief (ret.), Cardo Consulting
Glenn Leland, President, Strategic Fit, LLC
After The Mayday – Beginning a SART and Protecting
Our Own
Brad Driscoll, Fire Chief (ret.), Fresno Fire Department
Alan Ernst, Fire Chief, Modesto Fire Department
11:45 am – 12:15 pm Lunch
12:15 pm – 3:00 pm
Installation of Officers, Section Awards, & Fire Chief of the Year Award
President Heine and Incoming President Fennessy
Breakout Sessions: 3:00 pm – 3:50 pm
“WALL OF WATER” Two Football Fields Wide: Canadian high-volume water delivery system successful in WUI community protection
Guy Parlette, General Manager, Fire and Flood Emergency Services
Derek Sommerville, Wildfire Specialist, Fire and Flood Emergency Services
From Data to Decision: Leveraging Real Time Insights
Dave Blankinship, President, Emergent.tech
Construction Management for Fire Chiefs
Mark Heine, Fire Chief, Sonoma County Fire District
Bill Johal, Vice President of Business Development, Kitchell
Formalizing EMS Leadership - Outlining EMS Team Structure, Roles, and Responsibilities
Kristin Thompson, EMS Division Chief, Newport Beach Fire Department
Sandy Griffin, EMS Administrator, Rancho Cucamonga Fire District
The Intersection of Public Safety and Wireless Communications: Why Wireless Infrastructure is a Public Safety Issue
Mike McLaughlin, Fire Chief (ret), Senior Operations Advisor, Western Fire Chiefs Association
Ken Kehmna, Fire Chief (ret), Senior Operations Advisor, Western Fire Chiefs Association
Ashtyn Coleman, Director of Public Safety Infrastructure, Public Safety Towers Company
4:00 pm – 6:00 pm Tradeshow Reception
Wednesday, October 16, 2024
7:30 am – 8:30 am Breakfast
General Session:
8:30 am – 9:20 am
USFA Leading America’s Fire Service #OneVoice
Dr. Lori Moore – Merrell, U.S. Fire Administrator
Breakout Sessions: 9:30 am – 10:20 am
Battery Energy Storage Systems- Regulations, Incident Response, Post Incident and Next Steps
Crystal Sujeski, Chief of Code Development, California Office of the State Fire Marshal
Mike O’Brian, International Association of Fire Chiefs, Director of Fire and Life Safety Section
Daniel Twohy, CALFIRE SDU Battalion Chief- Safety
Jeremy Lawson, CALFIRE Staff Chief Safety and EMS Programs
Matt Salmon, San Diego Fire Department, HAZMAT / Fire Prevention
Leon Wirschem, San Diego Environmental Health
Ray McQueen, Orange County Fire Authority
Resiliency in Leadership
Mark Niemeyer, President, Western Fire Chiefs Association
Know Your Legitimate Authority
Don Butz, Fire Chief, Lakeside Fire Protection District
Brian Helmick, Deputy Fire Chief, Contra Costa County Fire Protection District
Re-Engineering Fire Service Survival!
Todd LeDuc, Fire Chief (ret.) & Deputy CEO, Life Scan Wellness Centers
What Every Chief Needs to Know from Their Mechanic
Tom Pitts, President, Southern California Fire Mechanics Association
Breakout Sessions: 10:30 am – 11:20 am
Do We Get Along and How Can We Do It Better?
John Hawkins, Fire Chief (ret.), CAL FIRE
Kim Zagaris, Senior Operations Advisor, Western Fire Chiefs Association
The Lexipol Umbrella: We’ve Got You, Your Agency & Your Community Covered
Sam DiGiovanna, Fire Chief & Fire Services Consultant, Lexipol
Total Worker Health for Structural and Wildland Firefighters
Dr. Kerry Kuehl, Medical Director Portland Fire & Rescue, Oregon Health & Science University
State of EMS - EMS Section Updates
Alexander Hamilton, Fire Chief, Oxnard Fire Department
11:30 am – 1:00 pm Hall of Fame Lunch
Breakout Sessions: 1:00 pm – 1:50 pm
What is the Value of your EMS System?
Ray Gayk, Fire Chief (ret.), Cardo Consulting Glenn Leland, President, Strategic Fit, LLC
Trauma and PTSD: Strategies for Healing with 11th Hour Trauma Retreat
Rachael Starr, Licensed Therapist, All About Healing
Harnessing Data and Science for Fire Management and Training
Melissa Floca,Director of Strategic Partnerships, San Diego Supercomputer Center
Responder Interaction with Advanced Vehicle Technologies
Mitchell Petterson, Emergency Services Outreach Leader, OnStar
Elevating Our Emergency Management Professionals: Moving Past the Mindset of “Other Duties As Assigned”
Justin Matsushita, Batallion Chief, City of Santee
Breakout Sessions:
2:00 pm – 2:50 pm
Evolution of FirstNet – What’s on the Horizon?
Kristy Mercado, Strategist Executive of CA, FirstNet
Jeff Johnson, Chief Emeritus, Western Fire Chiefs Association
Kim Zargis, Senior Operations Advisor, Western Fire Chiefs Association
Kevin Nida, Senior Public Safety Advisor, First Responder Network Authority
Navigating the Fire Insurance Maze
Bernie Molloy, Fire Chief, Murrieta Fire and Rescue
Firefighter Recruitment Strategies: Generation Z Perspectives on Fire Careers
Justin Matsushita, Batallion Chief, City of Santee
Igniting Change: What Matters to Women in the Fire Service
The Commission to Recruit Women for the Fire Service, Cal-JAC
Cal Chiefs Ops: Past, Present, and Future
Chris Coates, Battalion Chief, City of Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue
Cody Moxley, Deputy Chief of Operations,Alameda Fire Department
Ray Navarro, Fire Chief (ret.), Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District
Brandon Coatney, Deputy Fire Chief, La Verne Fire Department
Breakout Sessions: 3:00 pm – 3:50 pm
The FireTech Mutual Aid System- assessing your agency readiness and making technology work together for you
Robert Edson, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer, Acceleration-Strategies
Democratizing Situational Awareness for Citizens and First Responders
Nick Russell, Vice President of Operations, Watch Duty
EMS State and Federal Challenges
Kurt Henke, Principal / Managing Partner, AP Triton
Andrew Schouten, Lawyer, Wright, L’Estrange & Ergastolo
Don Trapp, EMS Division Manager, AP Triton
Dave Rocha, Fire Division Manager, AP Triton
Interagency Agreements and Incidents
Matthew Sully, Deputy Director, CAL FIRE
Mark Lorenzen, Fire Chief, Menlo Park FPD
Jason Weber, Fire Chief, Marin County FD
Jeff Gilbert, Fire Chief, Williams FD
Brian Marshall, State Fire and Rescue Chief, Cal OES
Jaime Gamboa, Director Of Fire and Aviation, USFS Region 5
Lori Lopez, Deputy Chief of Administration, Cal OES
Florian in the Field
Patrick Oconner, President & Co – Founder, 3AM Innovations
Izzy Rufat, Senior Director of Sales, 3AM Innovations
4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
President’s Reception
Thursday, October 17, 2024
7:30 am – 8:30 am Breakfast
General Sessions: 8:30 am – 9:20 am
Diversity Equity and Inclusion
Jaime Moore, Deputy Chief, Los Angeles City Fire Department
9:30 am – 10:20 am
Not Ready for Primetime: Improving First Responder and Autonomous Vehicle Interaction
Darius Luttropp, Deputy Chief, San Francisco Fire Department
10:30 am – 11:20 am
Issues Facing the Fire Service / Labor and Management
Brian Rice, President, California Fire Service
Frank Lima, General Secretary-Treasurer, International Association of Fire Fighters
11:30 am
Closing Remarks
President Brian Fennessy
