Instructor Bio | Chief Michael Terpak has been in the fire service for 43 years, having spent the last 36 years with the Jersey City Fire Department where he recently retired as a Deputy Chief and City-Wide Tour Commander. Throughout his career he has worked in the city’s Lafayette and Greenville areas with Engines 10 & 17, Ladder 12, Rescue 1, Chief of the city’s 2nd. Battalion and the former Chief in-charge of the city’s Training Division.

In addition to the above, he was also the High-Rise Training Coordinator for Jersey City. Terpak travels extensively around the country lecturing on fire/rescue topics. Chief Terpak holds a BS degree in Fire Safety Administration from the City University of New Jersey and is an adjunct professor for the Fire Science Technology program at Sussex County Community College.

He is the author of five best-selling books, “Fire Ground Size-Up” , “Assessment Center Strategy and Tactics” ,“Fire Ground Operational Guides” “Assessment Center Management and Supervision”, “Fire Officer Oral Assessment Study Guides” and “Fire Ground Size-Up”.

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

Instructor Bio | Captain Todd Edwards (Ret.) has over 36 years of experience in the fire service. Starting his career at 16 years old with a small combination department in Ohio, Todd then moved to Georgia where he spent more than 30 years with Atlanta Fire Rescue. During his career with Atlanta, he held a variety of positions including Captain, Battalion Chief, and Assistant Fire Chief. While with Atlanta, Todd developed and taught the majority of the city training curriculum, and co-developed the city Standard Operating Guidelines.

After retiring in 2018, he served the city as a consultant and the lead instructor/coordinator for Atlanta’s Officer Development Program. While working with Atlanta, Todd was also the Lead Instructor for Walton County Fire Rescue in northeast Georgia. For the past 20 years, Todd has also been an adjunct instructor for the Georgia Fire Academy. Todd has also developed countless training programs currently being utilized by numerous departments, specializing in department-based curriculums for training and fire ground operations.