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.

Michael Mire is a 26-year veteran of the fire service. His tenure on the Houston Fire Department (HFD) Command Staff began in 2017 when he was appointed as the Assistant Chief of Professional Development. He is currently assigned as the Assistant Chief of Emergency Operations.

Steven Green is currently the Assistant Chief of Administration for the Longview Fire Department and has been with Longview over 25 years. He is a member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, Texas Fire Chiefs Association, and East Texas All Hazards Incident Management Team. Locally, he is involved with AMBUCS, United Way, Chamber of Commerce-Leadership Longview, Longview Rotary Club, and Kilgore College Physical Therapy Advisory Committee. He received his BAAS from Texas A&M University at Commerce, Associate Degree in Fire Services Administration & Fire Protection and Safety Technology from Weatherford College. He has completed the Fire Service Chief Executive Officer program through Texas A&M University-Texas Engineering Extension Service, Chief Fire Executive through Texas Fire Chief Association, and is a TCFP-certified Fire Officer.

Chris Kahl is a Fire Captain for the City of Portland Fire Department and an adjunct instructor in the Texas A&M TEEX program. He has served in the fire service for a total of 25 years with the past 18 years being a career firefighter. Captain Kahl is a rescue specialist with Texas A&M Task Force 1 and completed his US&R Rescue Specialist in 2016. Previously Captain Kahl has been on the Fire and Life Safety Educator ad-hoc curriculum committee and is currently on the Health and Wellness committee along with the Technical Rescue ad-hoc curriculum committee. Captain Kahl holds many certifications from TCFP that include Master Firefighter, Master Inspector, Master Investigator, Driver/Operator, Aerial Driver/Operator, Instructor III, Fire Officer IV, Incident Safety Officer, Basic Wildland Firefighter, Hazardous Materials Technician, Fire and Life Safety Educator II and Plan Examiner. His Pro-Board certifications are in Rope Rescue Technician, Confined Space Technical Rescue II, Trench Rescue Technical Rescue II, Fire Officer IV, and Hazardous Materials Technician. Through FEMA Captain Kahl has taken NIMS 100, 200, 300, 400, 800 and 900 of the Incident Command System.

Homer Salinas is a Lieutenant with the Mission fire department, a mentor with the Firefighter Cancer Support Network, and a member of the Texas Task Force One Region 3 team.

Assistant Chief Adam Story joined the Cedar Park Fire Department, beginning as a Firefighter in July of 1998, working his way through the ranks to Assistant Fire Chief. Chief Story was appointed to the position of Assistant Fire Chief in April 2013 and served eight years as the Operations Assistant Chief. Chief Story is currently the Administrative Assistant Chief and Fire Marshal for the City of Cedar Park. Chief Story was a founding member of the Cedar Park Fire Fighters Association, Local 4233, and served as the President of the Cedar Park Professional Fire Fighters Association for six years.

 

Assistant Chief Story has received his Associate of Fire Science Degree from ACC, and is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in public safety management at UNT Dallas. Chief Story is certified by the Texas Commission on Fire Protection as a Master Firefighter, Master Fire Investigator and Master Fire Inspector, Intermediate Incident Safety Officer, Fire Instructor II, Fire Marshal and Fire Officer III & IV. He also holds an Emergency Medical Technician certification from the Texas Department of State Health Services, technician level certification in swift water and Hazmat, Fire Service Executive Officer (FSCEO) certification from Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX), and is a graduate of the Texas Fire Chiefs Academy. Chief Story is a primary instructor for the Second in Command conference for the Texas Fire Chiefs Association and is the chair of the Williamson County Fire Chiefs EMS Subcommittee. Chief Story also serves as a member on the Central Texas Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management Team.

Dr. Brian O'Neill has over 23 years of experience in the San Antonio Fire Department, where he currently leads the divisions of Firefighter Safety and Survivability, Community Risk Reduction, Special Projects, Planning, Analytics, and Research. In addition, Dr. O’Neill chairs the SAFD Occupational Cancer Committee, Alamo Area Occupational Cancer Committee, and Texas – Firefighters Attacking the Cancer Epidemic Team (T-FACE). Dr. O'Neill holds Adjunct Faculty positions at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and the University of Texas at San Antonio. With a Ph.D. in Fire and Emergency Management Administration from Oklahoma State University, Dr. O’Neill utilizes his research and practical experience to bridge the gap between theory and practice. Notably, Dr. O’Neill is a member of the Training in Occupational Research on Cancer via Heterogeneous Epidemiology Skills (TORCHES) Fellowship Program as part of the Firefighter Cancer Initiative at the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Care Center.

Ashley has been a career Firefighter/Paramedic in Euless since 2007.

She is a member of the NEFDA USAR, SwiftWater, and HazMat teams and is a guest instructor for the TEEX Municipal Summer Fire School, OSU's Swiftwater Conference in OKC, and is a new member of TX-TF1 Boat Rescue Team.

Ashley completed a Paramedic-to-Nursing bridge program in 2019 and has worked in both Adult and Pediatric Emergency Departments.

To merge her love for fitness, medicine, and nutrition, Ashley has specialized her Nursing career towards Functional Medicine, focusing on First Responder Wellness and Resiliency.

She assists Firefighters in finding the root cause of their symptoms, testing lab work, providing deficiency-based nutrition and modifiable lifestyle factors.

Jason Corthell is a dedicated fourth-generation fire service professional with over 20 years of experience. A proud U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Jason is a passionate advocate for the mental wellness of first responders. His resilience, leadership, and service have earned him numerous accolades, including the prestigious 2016 Star of Texas Award from Governor Greg Abbott, following a serious injury in the line of duty. His contributions to fire service education have been recognized by the Texas Association of Fire Educators, which named him the 2024 Texas Fire Instructor of the Year, in addition to a 2023 Fire Chief's Excellence Award.

Jason serves as a committed ambassador for the Tunnel to Towers Foundation and as a committee chair for the Texas Association of Fire Educators. He has turned his near career-ending injury in 2015 into a powerful narrative of post-traumatic growth, regularly speaking on national circuits and contributing to several podcasts and trade magazines. As Division Chief of Training and Mental Wellness Program Director for Harris County ESD 13, and CEO of the non-profit Guardian Grounds Ranch, he tirelessly works to provide mental health resources to other first responders and veterans, driven by a deep-seated desire to help others find their own path to healing.

Currently, Jason is writing his first book, "Freedom Found," set to be released by the end of 2025. He is also pursuing a Master's Degree in Education with a focus on Licensed Clinical Therapy, aiming to become a certified clinician. Jason is a devoted husband to his wife, Patty, and father to their three children. In his spare time, he enjoys attending live sporting events, especially those involving his kids, and going to concerts.

Michael Anderson started in the fire service in 1998 as a volunteer in his rural hometown. He has served at Travis County ESD#2-Pflugerville Fire Dept. since 2000, currently holding the rank of Deputy Assistant Chief in Administration.  After serving in every position in the Department, most of his experience is within the Safety and Training Division, where he previously served as the Battalion Chief responsible for management of the training and safety programs for the 200+ member, ISO Class 1 department.

With a passion for firefighter health and safety, Michael spent 14 years involved with the NFFF Everyone Goes Home Advocate Program since 2012. During this tenure he served as the Western Advocate Manager, working with firefighters and organizations across the United States working to improve the health and safety of firefighters. Chief Anderson also serves as an At-Large Director for the IAFC Safety, Health, and Survival Section.

Chief Anderson completed his undergraduate studies in Applied Arts and Sciences from Texas A&M University-Commerce and earned a master’s degree in Public Affairs from the University of Texas- Rio Grande Valley. Michael holds Fire Officer IV, Instructor III, Incident Safety Officer and Health & Safety Officer Certifications. In 2019, he Graduated the NFA Managing Officer program and achieved designation as a Chief Fire Officer from the CPSE Commission for Professional Credentialing in 2023.