Working With Giants, John Norman

Chief John Norman’s keynote to kick off CFT Fire School will encompass his newly released book entitled Working With Giants. This book and his keynote will bring his own remarkable story to life in this new highly anticipated memoir.

But this is a story about all firefighters—the men and women who are absolutely the salt of the earth, whose sole mission is to protect the lives and property of their neighbors. Chief Normans’s book celebrates the lives of firefighters—a truly special group of people—and reintroduces them to the American public.

More about Chief Norman

Chief Norman is a veteran of over 40 years in the fire service, until his retirement in 2007, he served as Deputy Assistant Chief, Special Operations Command (SOC) for the New York City Fire Department. John served as the Search and Rescue Manager for the World Trade Center attack, and held a key role in rebuilding the department in the following years.

Chief Norman’s distinguished career with the New York City Fire Department, combined with his training in highly regarded programs such as the Fire Officers Management Institute conducted by Columbia University, has made him an internationally sought-after figure throughout the fields of emergency incident response and management techniques. He has instructed at many venues during his career including the Counter Terrorism Training Program conducted jointly by the FDNY and the United States Military Academy (West Point), and the Fire Department Instructors Conference. John also serves as an expert witness on fire operational matters in both federal and state courts.

John is the author of the best selling books, Fire Officer’s Handbook of Tactics, and its accompanying study guide, which are also available as an audio book and DVD series, as well as Fire Department Special Operations. All are available from Pennwell.

“The Hierarchy of Competence” – Why Some Are Leaders, and Some Fail , Corley Moore

The hierarchy of Competence is a short class that digs past the question of are leaders born or made? It examines why some people are naturally effective leaders, who can build highly functioning groups and achieve excellent results. Then it contrasts and examines why some people with the best of intentions fall far short and constantly face challenges in their leadership journey.

This presentation provides tools that can be implemented instantly to identify and remedy a person’s leadership shortcomings. Understanding the Hierarchy of Competence is key to unlocking not only your own personal growth, but also the ability to help others unlock theirs.  If a person has the fortitude and willpower to implement what is learned in the class, using the tools and understanding of the Hierarchy of Competence will allow for people to reach their maximum potential in all walks of life.

More about Chief Corley Moore

Corley Moore is the founder of Firehouse Vigilance and it’s “Never Ending Fight Against Complacency”. Creator of the Vigilant Creed with members in 37 states and 5 Countries. Host of The Weekly Scrap, a podcast where fire service leaders discuss improving the culture of the modern fire service.

Corley Moore has served twenty-three years on the Moore Fire Department where he currently holds the rank of Battalion Chief. He is in charge of the Green Shift, which is a motley collection of badasses that make him look good every day.  

One Bad Day, Bassel Ibrahim

This presentation, will discuss the many facets of RIT, from the stress response physiology, to the command aspect, down to the rescue itself. We will start by defining what a RIT is and discuss the difference between a proactive and reactive RIT; then dive into the key factors for success (Teamwork, Communication, Leadership and Pre-Planning).

Once the basic concepts are established, we will address the actual RIT activation process in the following order: The Mayday, Size up, Access, Search, Troubleshooting, Air management, Victim Packaging, Extraction and Post Extraction Care.

More about Lieutenant Bassel Ibrahim

“Bassel Ibrahim is a 17-year student of the fire service, currently serving as the Company Officer of Engine 1 on the Orlando Fire Department, Bassel started his career in Volusia County, FL. Spent most of his time on Special Operations units (Orlando Heavy Rescue 1 & Tower 6, Volusia Squad 35 & 23) and was a member of FL Task Force 9 for 7 years.

Bassel leads the Orlando FD new hire training and PT programs, the Orlando competition teams which won multiple RIT Challenges and teaches the USAR series at the state level. He recently wrote an article on RIT Operations for Fire Engineering published in September 2021.

Anatomy of a Rescue, The Update, Chief Shannon Stone and Chief DJ Stone

What is the recipe for success? That is the question the fire service has been asking itself for many years. Success is defined as “the accomplishment of an aim or purpose.” I contend that success for the business of fire and rescue is of utmost importance. People live and die by our ability to be successful.

Although we cannot always guarantee success, we should never give up on trying to better ourselves by chasing the definition of success and applying it to the job of being a firefighter. This is especially important concerning operating at emergencies. For every successful endeavor, there will always be ingredients; framework; or an anatomy, if you will, of that particular success.

More about Chief Shannon Stone and Chief DJ Stone

Chief DJ Stone has been in the emergency services for 20 years, 18 of them at the Fort Walton Beach (FL) Fire Department as an EMT firefighter. A second-generation firefighter, and currently a Battalion Chief.

Chief Shannon Stone is a 25+ year veteran of the fire service working his way through the ranks and is currently the Division Chief of Operations at the Midway Fire District in Santa Rosa County Florida. He previously served and retired as an operational battalion chief with the Fort Walton Beach City Fire Department, located in the panhandle of Florida.

Cultural Shift for 2022, Getting Civilian Fire Fatalities Below 2000 | Isakson

Today’s fireground requires tactics that take today’s fire behavior, building construction, and response models into consideration. We must also use the UL studies, Firefighter Rescue Survey results, and civilian fire fatalities data to better deploy our local fire resources to meet life safety and property loss priorities. When smoke detectors fail, the fire service cannot fail.

We are the last line of defense. This class will give attendees a possible approach to getting the annual civilian fire fatality numbers consistently below 2,000 a year. It shows how to use data to assist us in adjusting our fireground assignments in the first five to seven minutes to remove trapped occupants sooner while still using decades of proven fireground tactics that work.

More about Curt Isakson

Curt “Ike” Isakson is a 30+ year veteran of the fire service, with experience working in volunteer, career, and combination departments in urban, suburban, rural, and countywide settings. He is currently a Battalion Chief for Escambia County Fire Rescue in Florida where he has worked for the last 21 years.

Before his time with Escambia, Curt was a Company Officer with the Pensacola Fire Department assigned to Heavy Rescue 31 for 9 years. His fire service experience started at a young age as a Junior Firefighter with the Midway Fire Protection District and rose through the ranks to Captain.