Chief Dennis Compton is a respected executive advisor, a well-known
speaker, and the author of several books including his latest titled Progressive
Leadership Principles, Concepts, and Tools. His previous books include a
three-part series titled When in Doubt, Lead, and another titled Mental Aspects
of Performance for Firefighters and Fire Officers. He has authored chapters
and articles for many publications, and was Co-Editor of the textbook titled
Managing Fire and Rescue Services.
Dennis was the Fire Chief in Mesa, Arizona for 5 years and Assistant Fire Chief in Phoenix
where he served for 27 years. Chief Compton is Past Chairman of the Executive Board of the
International Fire Service Training Association, and Past Chairman of the Congressional Fire
Services Institute’s National Advisory Council. He is currently Chairman of the National Fallen
Firefighters Foundation Board of Directors and Co-Chairman of the Fire Service-Based EMS
Advocates Steering Committee. Chief Compton is also a member of the Arizona State University
Center for Emergency Management and Homeland Security Advisory Council.
Chief Compton is a past recipient of the National Fire Service Instructor of the Year Award,
and was named the American Fire Sprinkler Association Fire Service Person of the Year in 2000.
Dennis was the University of Phoenix 2001 Distinguished Alumnus of the Year, and has
received the National Fire Service Leadership Award presented by the Congressional Fire
Services Institute and Motorola Solutions. He also received the 2007 Metropolitan Fire Chiefs
Association Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as the 2009 Arizona Fire Chiefs Association
Lifetime Achievement Award. Dennis received the 2014 Dr. John Granito Award for Excellence
in Fire Service Leadership and Management Research from the International Fire Service
Training Association, Fire Protection Publications, and Oklahoma State University. Chief
Compton is a charter member of the Arizona Fire Service Hall of Fame.
If You’re an Officer – Be a Leader
Holding a formal rank does not necessarily mean that a fire officer is actually in charge and
fulfilling the responsibilities of their position. This unique session explores critical leadership,
management, and supervisory capabilities that contribute to developing exceptional leaders.
There’s more to leadership than simply getting promoted. It is the ability to create and maintain a
positive, productive, and healthy work environment that establishes a fire officer as the leader in
the eyes of those being led. All current and future fire officers of all ranks (career and volunteer)
will benefit from this session.
Sean DeCrane is a 24+ year veteran of the Cleveland Fire Department.
He currently serves as a Battalion Chief and Chief of Training for the
Cleveland Fire Training Academy. Sean is a State of Ohio Certified
Instructor and represents the International Association of Fire Fighters in
the International Code Council. He also has served on the 2009 and
20012 International Fire Code Development Committees and is the
current Committee Chair for the 2015 Edition. He was awarded the 2010
International Code Council’s Fire Service Award, the International
Association of Fire Chiefs Fire Life Safety Section’s 2013 Fire Service
Award and the 2014 Fire Equipment Manufacturer’s Fire Advocate Award. DeCrane also serves
on the National Fire Protection Association’s NFPA 1 Fire Code Technical Committee. In
addition Sean serves on the Underwriters Laboratories Fire Council, Underwriter Laboratories’
Fire Fighter Safety Research Institute, numerous Underwriters Laboratories Technical Panels
including Ventilation studies, the United States Fire Administration’s Residential Fire
Environment Workshop Project, the United States Fire Administration’s project on Fire Fighting
Tactics in Wood-Frame Residential Construction and the Modern Fire Environment Education
Committee. He also sits on a number of Technical Review Panels for the NFPA Fire Research
Foundation including Tall Wood Buildings. He has presented at numerous conferences in the
United States and internationally, will be a keynote speaker for the 2015 Fire Department
Instructor’s Conference and is a contributor for Fire Engineering Magazine.
Bringing Research to the ABC’s of Fireground Operations
The Three C’s
This breakout session will bring the research to the streets. There are a number of members of
the fire service who see value in the current research and information derived. The question
heard most often may be, “This information is great but how do we change behavior?”.
A number of departments have taken the research conducted at Underwriters Laboratories and
the National Institute of Standards and Technology and applied it to operational changes in the
streets. In many cases it doesn’t need to be wholesale changes, rather it is getting back to our
roots of operations. We will cover how one metropolitan Division implemented changes to their
Standard Operating Procedures and operations.
In ALS care we educate our paramedics to continuously evaluate their patients. When ALS
interventions, that should have a positive impact, demonstrate no improvement we instruct our
medics to return to the basics or the ABC’s. We should remain consistent in fire suppression
education. When tactics should improve conditions and don’t we need to consider our ABC’s,
the Three C’s: Communication. Coordination and Control.
Jim is the San Antonio Fire Department and Local 624 PPE Chairman
along with being a member of the SAFD Uniform Commissary Committee,
Apparatus Committee, and the Tool and Equipment Committee. He has been
involved with health, safety, and PPE for 23 of his 27 years as a career
firefighter. He has a Master Firefighter Certification, Instructor 1 Certification
and a Fire Officer 1 Certification from the Texas Commission on Fire
Protection. He is also certified as a Licensed Paramedic by the Texas
Department of State Health Services.
Outside of the fire department; Jim is the Chairman of the Firefighter Advisory
Committee of the Texas Commission on Fire Protection along with being a member of the NFPA
1971 and 1851 Committees as a representative of the Texas State Association of Firefighters. He
is a Deputy Shelter Branch Director for evacuation sheltering operations for the Alamo Regional
Command Center in San Antonio and is a member of the NFPA 1616 Mass Evacuation and
Sheltering Committee representing the International Association of Fire Fighters. Jim graduated
from Western Illinois University in 1981 with a Bachelor of Business Degree in Marketing.
The Culture of Firefighting PPE and the Protection It Gives
Lieutenant Reidy has immersed himself into the fire service PPE world. He will address the
question: How can we better protect ourselves? This presentation provides and overview of PPE
from a firefighter’s perspective. He will provide insight that ranges from the make-up of
participants on the NFPA 1971/1851 Technical Committee, to the testing requirements of NFPA
1971, to cleaning and decontamination, and to retirement of PPE. The photos and illustrations of
this presentation will underscore the importance of having at least one PPE expert in every fire
department.
Sean Gray started his fire service career in 1993 in Southern California and is a
Lieutenant with Cobb County (GA) Fire and Emergency Services. He has a
Bachelor’s degree in Fire Safety Engineering from the University of Cincinnati.
He has presented at FDIC and has been published in Fire Engineering Magazine.
He is an Advisory Board member for the UL-Firefighter Safety Research Institute
and has served on the Exterior/Attic Fire UL Technical Panel.
Class Description- Attack from the BURNED Side
There are many different tactics for attacking structure fires. For years the fire service has been
preaching to Attack from the Unburned Side. This isn't always the best tactic. The New Age fire
ground is evolving more than ever before and with the use of science to enhance our procedures
this class will show different tasks and tactics that can be used to extinguish fires that originate on
the Exterior and extend into the Attic. Using case studies paired with practical experience this class
will examine this particular fallacy along with others that have led to firefighters being injured and
killed across the country from these types of fires. This class is against the grain of traditional
firefighting, and has an innovative approach at fighting the fires that we face today.