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James Careless is an award-winning freelance writer who covers the public safety sector. His articles have been published in fire, EMS and law enforcement publications across North America.

Justin Schorr is a rescue captain for the San Francisco Fire Department, where he has served as a field paramedic and a firefighter, a field captain and an administrative captain. He is ARFF-qualified and oversees EMS response for San Francisco International Airport. Schorr spent 25 years in the fire service and is experienced in rural, suburban and urban firefighting as well as paramedicine. He runs the blog The Happy Medic.

Ben Willey entered the fire service in 2003 and has served as both a volunteer and career firefighter. He currently serves as a captain of training for the Fargo (ND) Fire Department. Willey is a co-founder of the Firefighter 3 Project, a mentorship initiative that aims to help the next generation of firefighters learn the firefighter life skills needed to be successful in the fire service.

Dr. Michael Cunningham is a 16-year veteran of the fire service, currently serving as a division chief, chief of staff to the fire chief with Cobb County (Ga.) Fire & Emergency Services. He has spent his career as a firefighter and fire officer, as a training division instructor, and as a member of the administrative senior staff educating firefighters in the areas of fire behavior and firefighting tactics, leadership, career development, and diversity and inclusion. Dr. Cunningham has a Ph.D. in industrial and organizational psychology, a master’s degree in business administration, a bachelor’s degree in computer science, a bachelor’s degree in professional aeronautics, and an associate degree in avionic systems technology. Dr. Cunningham can be reached via email.

Jeff Deal is a retired fire chief of the City of McPherson (Kansas) Fire Department. He worked in the fire service for over 25 years. Deal holds a master’s degree in public administration, a bachelor’s degree in political science, as well as an Executive Fire Officer designation from the National Fire Academy. Deal now serves as a fire science instructor for Hutchinson Community College in Kansas.

Jesse Marcotte is the training chief for the Northville Township (Mich.) Fire Department and member of the ISFSI, heading up the organization’s Mentoring and Coaching Initiative. He also serves as a team leader and training coordinator for the Western Wayne County Urban Search & Rescue team. Marcotte has a bachelor’s degree in public safety studies from Siena Heights University and a master’s degree in public safety and emergency management from Eastern Michigan University. He has presented at various state and national conferences.

Christian Sliker, MPIO, FM, began his career with the City of Myrtle Beach (S.C.) Fire Department in 2005 and currently holds the rank of deputy fire marshal/captain. In August 2017, Captain Sliker completed FEMA’s Master Public Information Officer program, with his capstone project focused on messaging solutions for tourist-driven areas. During Captain Sliker’s time as public educator, the Myrtle Beach Fire Department won the Richard S. Campbell Award for Excellence in Public Education 8 years in a row.

Peter Sanders is public information director at the Los Angeles City Fire Department. He is a senior-level communications professional with 18 years of crisis communications, marketing, strategic media relations and journalism experience. Sanders was previously the deputy mayor for communications for the City of Los Angeles and worked as a staff reporter for The Wall Street Journal. Prior to communications, Sanders was a NREMT-paramedic and worked for various 911 systems in California and Texas.

Samantha Hilker is the founder of Hilker Project & Strategy Management, LLC, a lover of books and favors a facilitative leadership style. She believes the future of EMS resides in our ability to build relationships, work together and play nice in the proverbial sandbox. She is a licensed paramedic in the state of Wisconsin, and her passion for patient care is still a driver for her personally and professionally. She has held positions as a paramedic, supervisor, staff development manager and project manager. Hilker has successfully led and managed organizational change, process improvement and public engagement efforts. After finishing her master’s degree in organizational leadership, she started her own company with a goal of helping more EMS and healthcare organizations strengthen their leadership teams, effectively share their stories and better engage the communities they serve.

Miriam Childs is an experienced digital marketer who has served as Lexipol’s marketing coordinator since 2020. She has a bachelor’s degree in Marketing from the University of Texas at Arlington.