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Adam K. Thiel is the fire commissioner and director of the Office of Emergency Management in the city of Philadelphia. Thiel previously served as a fire chief in the National Capital Region and as a state fire director for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Thiel’s operational experience includes serving with distinction in four states as a chief officer, incident commander, company officer, hazardous materials team leader, paramedic, technical rescuer, structural/wildland firefighter and rescue diver. He also directly participated in response and recovery efforts for several major disasters, including the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Tropical Storm Gaston and Hurricane Isabel.

‘Fireground Medical Operations,’ a FireRescue1 original column, is a resource for firefighters and emergency medical personnel to learn about fireground hazards. Firefighter rehabilitation, medical screening and more are covered in this column by the staff of the Albert Einstein Medical Center.

Bill Webb has served as executive director of the Congressional Fire Services Institute since 1995. Before joining CFSI, Bill worked for the Firefighter Combat Challenge as the project manager for the competition. A former member of the George H.W. Bush administration, he served as a special assistant to cabinet secretaries at the U.S. Departments of Education and Labor. Webb is vice chairman of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and an honorary member of the Vienna (Virginia) Volunteer Fire Department, the Delaware Volunteer Firefighter’s Association and the International Association of Fire Fighters’ Local 36. He has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Oregon State University. Connect with Webb on LinkedIn.

Billy D. Hayes retired as fire chief for the City of Onalaska, Wisconsin, in 2020. He previously served as the fire marshal for the University of South Alabama, vice president of university relations for Columbia Southern University, the director of community affairs for the District of Columbia Fire and EMS Department, and as the fire chief and emergency management coordinator for the City of Riverdale, Georgia. He is a graduate of Georgia Military College and Columbia Southern University, the NFA’s Executive Fire Officer Program, and has a certificate in local government management from the University of Georgia. Hayes is a past president of the Metro Atlanta Fire Chiefs Association and past chairman of the board for the Georgia Firefighters Burn Foundation. He authored the Public Fire and Life Safety Education chapter of “The Fire Chief’s Handbook” (7th Edition). Hayes is a member of the Fire Chief/FireRescue1 Editorial Advisory Board. Connect with Hayes on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

In ‘Grants Basics,’ firefighter/paramedic Brandon Johnson teaches the basics of understanding grant applications. Brandon Johnson’s 15 years of experience can work for you as he explains the fundamentals of grants, from which grants to seek to understanding authorized equipment lists.

Bruce Evans, MPA, CFO, SEMSO, NRP, is the fire chief and a paramedic at the Upper Pine River Fire Protection District in Bayfield, Colorado. He also serves as president of the NAEMT. Evans is on the board of the State Emergency Medical and Trauma Services Advisory Committee. He is a National Fire Academy instructor and a member of the IAFC EMS Section, and he sits on the National Academy of Science’s Institute of Medicine’s Preparedness Committee. Evans has a master’s degree in public administration and bachelor’s degree in science from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Connect with Evans on LinkedIn.

Listen to Evans on the Inside EMS podcast.

Bruce Hensler served as a firefighter from 1976 to 2011 in career, combination and volunteer departments. He previously served as a fire program specialist in the Emergency Response Support Branch of the U.S. Fire Administration, retiring in 2017. He also previously served as deputy director of the operations division for the firefighter training program in Maine. Hensler has a master’s degree in public administration. His interest in history led him to write “Crucible of Fire: Nineteenth-Century Urban Fires and the Making of the Modern Fire Service.” More information about his book is available at nebraskapress.edu. Connect with Hensler on LinkedIn.

Bryan Jack is a grant consultant with FireGrantsHelp.com and its sister site, EMSGrantsHelp.com. A 15-year veteran of the fire service, Bryan is currently serving as Battalion Chief at Tri-Lakes Monument Fire Protection District in Monument, Colorado. A certified Fire Officer and Paramedic, Bryan has been successfully writing, reviewing and consulting on grants for more than five years. For any questions related to grants, you can contact Bryan at bryan.jack@firegrantshelp.com. He will be featuring some of the questions – and his answers – in upcoming columns.

Gary Bowker is a retired fire chief with the U.S. Air Force and retired fire marshal with the City of Winfield, Kansas, now serving as an associate instructor with the Kansas Fire & Rescue Training Institute. He previously served as fire chief with the Sumner County (Kansas) Rural Fire District #10 and has over 40 years in fire service. He has taught at the National Fire Academy, U.S. Department of Defense, and the Butler County Community College. He is nationally certified as a Fire Officer II, Instructor II, Inspector II, Certified Fire & Explosion Investigator. Bowker holds a bachelor’s degree in fire science administration. Connect with Chief Bowker on LinkedIn or via email.