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James S. Clack was appointed fire chief in Ankeny, Iowa, in June 2014. Previously, Chief Clack served as the fire chief in Baltimore for five years. Chief Clack spent the first 22 years of his fire service career in Minneapolis, where he retired as fire chief in 2008. Chief Clack served as the unified incident commander for the response to the Interstate-35W bridge collapse over the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis on Aug. 1, 2007. Clack is a graduate of the Executive Fire Officer program at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland. He holds an associate degree in general business administration from the University of Minnesota and bachelor’s degree in fire administration from Southwest Minnesota State University. Clack served as a platoon sergeant in the U.S. Army Reserve as an Arctic Infantry Scout. Chief Clack was named the 2019 Career Fire Chief of the Year by the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC).

Richard B. Gasaway, PhD, CSP, is a trusted authority on human factors, situational awareness and the decision-making processes used in high-stress, high-consequence work environments. Gasaway served 33 years on the front lines as a firefighter, EMT-paramedic, company officer, training officer, fire chief and emergency incident commander. His doctoral research included the study of cognitive neuroscience to understand how human factors flaw situational awareness and impact high-risk decision-making. Gasaway is the founder and CEO for Situational Awareness Matters, a teaching and consulting organization located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. He can be reached at Rich@RichGasaway.com.

Jennifer Aubert-Utz is a 22-year veteran of the Baltimore County Fire Department, currently serving as an assistant fire chief. In addition to providing executive leadership and professional oversight to over 1,000 career and 2,000 volunteer members, Aubert-Utz is responsible for the preparation and continual review of the department’s operating budget, enhancing human relations, and ensuring the fire department is well-represented at all levels of government. Dedicated to the foundations of public service motivation and the advancement of the fire service, Chief Aubert-Utz serves as the chairperson for the Maryland Center for the Study of Health Effects of Fire, a commissioner on the Maryland Higher Education Commission’s Fire Rescue Training & Education Commission, a technical expert on the International Fire Service Training Association Fire Service Training publication and training manual revision team, and has served as a professional advisor on the NFPA Responder Forum. Chief Aubert-Utz holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in management from Johns Hopkins University, earned the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Designation, and holds several professional fire service affiliations.

Marie Ridgeway MSW, LICSW, RYT is a Master’s-level mental health clinician with a specialty in treating stress injuries (PTS) and the secondary challenges that commonly occur (anxiety, depression, panic attacks, substance abuse, relationship challenges). Marie has advanced training in Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART). She and her staff of occupationally competent clinicians currently work with over 40 public safety agencies in Minnesota. Marie has worked in the field for over 16 years. She completed her master’s degree in 2010 and has been providing clinical supervision for the Minnesota Board of Social Work since 2018. She was a training specialist for the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association, at numerous annual first responder conferences, and has worked individually with thousands of law enforcement officers across the state since 2017. Marie brings knowledge and skills from her diverse work experience that includes child protection and psychiatric crisis team response. Marie is honored to be providing specialized occupationally competent care, wellness programming, POST training, and Crisis Negotiation Team clinical consultation to those in public safety who serve our communities. To learn more, please visit www.marieridgeway.com or email information@marieridgeway.com.

Oscar Monterrosa is a third-year medical student at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine in Las Vegas, and currently works as a critical care transport paramedic for a local agency and as a volunteer firefighter for Clark County Fire Department. He has a combined 15 years’ experience as a U.S Army combat medic, EMT/paramedic, CCT paramedic and educator in the Las Vegas area.

Lt. Curtis Halcom serves as the lead for the Seminole County Fire Department and has more than 20 years of experience as a firefighter/paramedic. For more information about the Seminole County Fire Department’s Community Paramedicine Program, visit www.seminolecountyfl.gov/paramedicine.

Michael Montgomery is a 20-year veteran of the Marysville (Ohio) Division of Fire as a firefighter/paramedic. He holds numerous technical certifications, including Public Safety Diver, Rope Rescue Technician, Swift Water Rescue Technician, and the organization’s head of Community Paramedicine. Additionally, Montgomery is licensed as a registered nurse with over 15 years of experience in orthopedics, emergency and flight. He is a preceptor and educator for The Paramedic Education Program at Grant Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio. He holds undergraduate degrees from The University of Cincinnati, The Ohio State University and Excelsior College.

Michael Baker is the fire chief for the City of Tulsa, Oklahoma, leading a department of 725 members and 30 fire station locations. A 26-year veteran of the Tulsa Fire Department, Chief Baker held previous roles as chief of EMS, public information officer and fire captain. Baker holds a master’s degree in security studies (homeland security) from the Naval Postgraduate School Center for Homeland Defense and Security, and a bachelor’s degree in university studies (political science, sociology and emergency management) from Oklahoma State University. Chief Baker was selected as a 2016 EMS 10 award recipient for EMS Innovation by the Journal of Emergency Medical Services.

FireRescue1’s Better Every Shift Podcast spotlights the passion and perseverance of firefighters. Hosted by Aaron Zamzow, a firefighter with the Madison (Wisconsin) FD, and FireRescue1 Editor-in-Chief Janelle Foskett, the show brings kitchen table conversations to the airwaves, always focused on solutions, positivity and the realities of station life. Zamzow and guests tackle myriad hot topics, whether fire service-, news- or even pop culture-focused, bringing some levity to the often very serious nature of the profession. Dig into what drives firefighters to improve themselves, their crew, even the fire service as a whole. Listen in to get better every day, every call, every shift.

Darryl Jones is the fire chief for the City of Pittsburgh Fire Bureau. Jones is responsible for the leadership over all personnel and oversees the daily operations of the Fire Bureau. Chief Jones began his career with the city in 2007 after serving 20 years with the Aliquippa (Pennsylvania) Fire Department. Jones is a graduate of Carlow University, Carnegie Mellon University and Capella University.