Chief Thompson entered the fire service in 1981. He has been formally practicing leadership and coaching fire officers and firefighters for the last 25 years. Chief Thompson has practiced leadership as an operations officer, training chief, emergency manager, Chief of Department, and Director of Public Safety. Thompson has held a leadership position in 2 volunteer and 5 career fire departments.

Thompson started his paid career assigned to one of the first organized hazardous materials teams in North Texas in 1986. He spent 10 years assigned to busy suburban fire companies, and as a division chief, he responded regionally to fire and rescue events. Thompson responded to the Delta 191 crash, tornadoes, wildland fires, mass casualty incidents, and a mid-rise building explosion. Thompson has been recognized in the region for his command and control practices.

Chief Thompson began his teaching career in 1986 at Collin College. He has taught at the Texas A&M University Fire School since 1996, and has been a hands on instructor (HOT), workshop, and classroom presenter at the Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC) since 2002. Chief Thompson continues to attend training offerings around the country as a hands-on participant.

Captain Todd Edwards (Ret.) has over 36 years of experience in the fire service. Starting his career at 16 years old with a small combination department in Ohio, Todd then moved to Georgia where he spent more than 30 years with Atlanta Fire Rescue. During his career with Atlanta, he held a variety of positions including Captain, Battalion Chief, and Assistant Fire Chief. While with Atlanta, Todd developed and taught the majority of the city training curriculum, and co-developed the city Standard Operating Guidelines.

After retiring in 2018, he served the city as a consultant and the lead instructor/coordinator for Atlanta’s Officer Development Program. While working with Atlanta, Todd was also the Lead Instructor for Walton County Fire Rescue in northeast Georgia. For the past 20 years, Todd has also been an adjunct instructor for the Georgia Fire Academy. Todd has also developed countless training programs currently being utilized by numerous departments, specializing in department-based curriculums for training and fire ground operations.

Chief Alan Griffin has over 29 years of experience in the North Carolina fire service. He is currently serving as the Fire Chief of Carolina Beach Fire Department where he has held that position for over 10 years. Since his appointment to the position in 2012, he has taken responsibility for the overall strategic leadership ensuring the department is well positioned to provide the best service to the citizens and visitors of the community.

Prior to his current position he worked as the Emergency Services Director for Montgomery County, North Carolina for 5 years where he also served as the volunteer Fire Chief of Biscoe Fire Department. Chief Griffin began his paid career at Pinehurst Fire Department in 1995, and before starting his paid career in the fire service, he volunteered for Seagrove Fire Department.

Chief Griffin has over 25 years of teaching experience as a certified instructor for the state of North Carolina. He has delivered fire training courses and presentations to numerous fire departments, regional fire seminars, and large conferences including 1st Due Operations conference, County Fire Tactics conference in Florida, and both the North and South Carolina Fire Chief's conferences. Alan is the owner of 1st Due Tactics, a company dedicated to improving and motivating today's fire service through quality instruction.

Mo Davis is a District Chief with the City of Houston Fire Department and has over 25 years of fire service experience. Chief Davis holds a Master’s Degree, is a Master Firefighter, and is a Master Fire investigator.