Pat McAuliff is the Director of Fire Science and Chief Training Officer at Collin College in McKinney where his innovative design concept for the Fire-Rescue Training Complex drew national attention. Prior to Collin College, he worked for the College Station Fire Department. He holds a B.S. Degree in Technical Education from Texas A&M University and is certified as a Master Instructor. He served on the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Workforce Education Curriculum Manual Committee. He has written articles for fire service trade journals and served on Advisory Committees for fire service textbooks.

Deputy Fire Chief Robert L. Havens, is a 30+ year veteran of the Port Arthur Fire Department. He also serves as the City’s Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator
In addition to the numerous academic achievements, professional certifications and credentials, Deputy Chief Havens has an extensive history of serving the Texas Fire Service as a member of the TCFP Curriculum and Testing Committee and various ad-hoc committees since 2005. 
He is a National Fire Protection Association Certified Fire Protection Specialist, a graduate of the Texas Fire Chiefs Association Fire Chiefs Academy, and the Texas A&M Business School’s Fire Service Chief Executive Officer program. He is also a graduate of the National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officers Program. 
Deputy Chief Havens serves on many local, regional and state committees. He is the former President of the Sabine Neches Chiefs Association and currently serves as the Chair of the SNCA Marine Firefighting, Salvage, & Recovery Committee. He is also the Chair of the Jefferson County Local Emergency Planning Committee’s Hazardous Materials Sub-Committee and Chairs the USCG Sabine/Neches Area Maritime Security Committee’s Firefighting, Salvage, & Recovery Committee. Additionally, Deputy Chief Havens serves as a guest Instructor annually at the Texas A&M Annual Municipal Fire Training School.

Sam Baucom is a Deputy Chief and instructor for the Amarillo Fire Department, where he has served since 1993. He received a Bachelor of Applied Science in Fire Science from Wayland Baptist University and a Master of Science in Forensic Science (Arson/Explosion Investigation) from Oklahoma State University. Sam is a graduate of the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program. He is a member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, International Association of Fire Fighters, International Association of Arson Investigators, and National Association of Fire Investigators. He is also the former Chairperson of the Board of Directors for the Potter-Randall 9-1-1 District, and a former adjunct instructor at Amarillo College Regional Fire Academy where he taught for more than 20 years.

Chuck French is a Battalion Chief for the City of Nacogdoches and served as the Training Facility Coordinator for Angelina College Fire Academy in Lufkin for 22 years.  Chuck is an active member with the Texas Association of Fire Educators and served 4 years as President. Chuck has been a member of the Curriculum and Testing Committee since 2005.

Chris Watson is a Battalion Chief with the Austin Fire Department and an adjunct faculty member for Austin Community College and Texas A&M University San Antonio.

Daniel DeYear is the liaison for the Fire Fighter Advisory committee.

Daniel is originally from The Bronx in New York City and began his Fire Service Career in the North East. His time in the Texas Fire Service began over 43 years ago. He previously worked for the Carrollton (TX) Fire Department for nearly 10 years, serving in several capacities. He then served for two years as an International Fire Marshal for the U. S. Department of State, Foreign Building Operations, where he travelled to more than 35 countries providing fire & life safety to the United States Embassies and Consulates.  He has been with the Dallas Fire Department for the past 32 years and has held every rank up to Deputy Chief. Currently, he is the Deputy Chief of the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Division. He has been published several times including Firehouse Magazine and Fire Engineering Magazine. He is a prominent Public Speaker and has travelled around the United States as well as Internationally and has presented for the Fire Service as well as Corporate America. He was the TAFE 2020 Instructor of the Year. He recently gave the last keynote speech ever at Firehose Expo.

He serves as the Vice-President of the Dallas Firefighters Museum and is a Board of Director for Search-One.

Daniel lives in Plano and he and his wife Janet have three grown children. He is an avid snow skier and enjoys baseball, football and auto racing.

Buddy Rice began his career in the fire service in 1980, at the age of 16 years old, as a junior firefighter.
Buddy Rice is the current Fire Marshal for the City of Deer Park, where he has served for the last 11 years. He serves as the current First Vice President of the Texas Fire Marshal’s Association and as a Commissioner for the Harris County Emergency Service District 46. He is a Past President of the Harris County Firefighters Association.
Currently a member of the Texas Fire Marshal’s Association and Texas Chapter of the International Association of Arson Investigators.

Douglas Matthijetz is an Assistant Fire Chief for the City of Corpus Christi. He is a member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs and the Texas Fire Chiefs Association. He earned his Chief Fire Officer and Chief Training Officer designations through the Center for Public Safety Excellence. He holds an associate degree in Fire Science from Del Mar College, a bachelor’s degree in Emergency Management from West Texas A&M University, and a Master of Public Administration Degree from Texas A&M Corpus Christi.

Desha Turner is a Fire Inspector/Fire Investigator with the San Angelo Fire Marshal's Office. In addition to her current role, she is a Basic Peace Officer Academy cadet and is projected to graduate in June 2025 as a Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) certified peace officer. Prior to San Angelo, she worked for the College Station Fire Department. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Sul Ross State University and a Master of Education in Educational Administration from Angelo State University.

Dustin Brown is a Firefighter with Lubbock Fire Rescue, where he has proudly served the citizens of Lubbock, Texas for the past 17 years. He is currently assigned to Fire Station 8. Throughout his career, Dustin has held a variety of roles, including 12 years at Station 2—home to the department’s training division—and time at the Aircraft Rescue & Fire Fighting (ARFF) station at the Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport.

Dustin served for 10 years as a member of the South Plains Incident Management Team, responding to major incidents such as the 2011 wildfire outbreak and Hurricane Harvey. He also spent 10 years on the Lubbock Fire Rescue Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual System (TIFMAS) Team.

Since 2015, Dustin has been an integral part of the Wolfforth Fire Academy, where he began as an instructor and was appointed Program Coordinator in 2021. Under his leadership, the academy has trained and graduated over 250 students.

A passionate advocate for firefighter education and training, Dustin continues to serve as the Operations Captain and Certification Coordinator for the Slaton Fire Department, where he has volunteered for over 20 years.