Education: Fire Leadership Challenge 2025

Monday, October 20, 2025
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM	Meetings Colorado Fire Commission
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM	Pre-Conference Workshops Company Officer Roles, Responsibilities, and Expectations David Carpenter, Adams County Fire
Tuesday, October 21, 2025
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM	Meetings CFTOA Membership Meeting
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM	Networking Events FIREHAWK® Helicopter on Display
8:30 AM - 10:30 AM	Meetings Rocky Mountain Accreditation & Credentialing Meeting
9:30 AM - 11:00 AM	Meetings CSFC Volunteer & Combination Chiefs Section Meeting		Meetings Fire Marshals Association of Colorado (FMAC) Annual Meeting
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM	Meetings Ready, Set, Go! DFPC Updates You Need to Know - Includes lunch - Sponsored by Davis Partnership Architects, Fire Aside, and PANO AI Michael Morgan, Colorado Division of Fire Prevention & Control Vaughn Jones, Colorado Division of Fire Prevention & Control Lisa Pine, Colorado Division of Fire Prevention & Control
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM	ALL LEAD + FMS LEAD & FMS Welcome & Workshop: Building Your Leadership Brand Dustin Kaehr, The Think. Lead. Live. Group
4:15 PM - 5:30 PM	Meetings Colorado State Fire Chiefs Annual Membership Meeting
5:30 PM - 6:30 PM	Meetings Colorado Firefighter Heart, Cancer & Behavioral Health Benefits Trust Meeting
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM	Networking Events Fire Leadership Challenge Welcome Reception
Wednesday, October 22, 2025
7:00 AM - 8:00 AM	Networking Events Networking Breakfast with Exhibitors
7:00 AM - 6:00 PM	Networking Events Exhibit Hall Open
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM	Keynote Session Opening Welcome & Keynote: Bravery, Courage, and Heart: Leadership Lessons from the Yellow Brick Road Kris Blume, Meridian Fire Department (ID)
9:30 AM - 10:30 AM	Networking Events Networking Break with Exhibitors
10:30 AM - 11:15 AM	LEAD Series - Company Officer Managing Training as a Company Officer Don Koogle, City of Federal Heights Fire Department		LEAD Series - Chief Officer Dichotomy of Ethics in the Fire Service Dr. Ben Stone, EFO, CFO, CTO, CEMSO, MiFire-E., Center for Public Safety Excellence
10:30 AM - 12:15 PM	Fire Marshal Symposium Beyond Codes and Inspections: The Human Side of Fire Marshal Leadership Dr. Alana Brunacini, Brunacini Professional Services, PLLC
11:30 AM - 12:15 PM	LEAD Series - Company Officer Fire Scene Investigations Todd Hedglin, Colorado Division of Fire Prevention & Control		LEAD Series - Chief Officer Administrative 360: Bridging Operational Expertise and Strategic Leadership Alec Oughton, Aurora Fire Rescue
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM	Networking Events Lunch with Exhibitors
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM	Keynote Session Stronger Every Shift: Athlete-Inspired Mental Wellness for the Fire Service Dr. Brandy Runyan, East Texas A&M University Hussien Jabai, Jabai Performance / East Texas A&M University
2:15 PM - 2:45 PM	Networking Events Networking Break with Exhibitors Sponsored by Tersus Solutions
2:45 PM - 3:30 PM	LEAD Series - Company Officer Stronger Every Shift: Athlete-Inspired Mental Wellness for the Company Officer Dr. Brandy Runyan, East Texas A&M University Hussien Jabai, Jabai Performance / East Texas A&M University		Lead Series - Chief Officer + FMS From Wildfire to Regulation: Colorado’s Evolving WUI Legal Landscape Christopher Brunette, Colorado Division of Fire Prevention & Control
3:45 PM - 4:30 PM	LEAD Series - Company Officer + FMS CRR in Action: Aligning Prevention and Response for Safer Communities Deanna Zurey, Arvada Fire Travis Fox, Arvada Fire		LEAD Series - Chief Officer Honoring Our Own: Best Practices for Planning Fire Department Funerals Oren Bersagel-Briese, Castle Rock Fire Department Jeremy Young, Frederick-Firestone Fire District Bert Brooks, Arvada Fire Protection District Mike Eason, Adams County Fire Protection District
4:30 PM - 6:00 PM	Networking Events Exhibit Hall Reception & Drawing
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM	Meetings CSFC Wildland Fire Section Meeting
Thursday, October 23, 2025
7:00 AM - 8:00 AM	Networking Events Breakfast with Exhibitors
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM	Keynote Session Keynote: Commanding the Balance: Aggressive Tactics, Safe Outcomes Jason Caughey, Laramie County Fire Authority Eric Valliere, Scottsdale Fire Department John Oates, International Public Safety Data Institute Luke Hawkins, Mountain View Fire Rescue
9:30 AM - 10:30 AM	Networking Events Networking Break with Exhibitors Sponsored by Fire Engineering Training
10:30 AM - 11:15 AM	LEAD Series - Company Officer Normalization of Deviance Grant Tinker, Colorado Springs Fire Department	LEAD Series - Chief Officer The Power of Presence: Political Engagement for Fire Service Leaders Michaela Campbell, Congressional Fire Services Institute		Fire Marshal Symposium Who is the ATF.....Really? Paul Claflin, IAAI-CFI, MSc, International Association of Arson Investigators
11:30 AM - 12:15 PM	LEAD Series - Company Officer The Process of a Good After-Action Report (AAR) Chris Angermuller, Windsor Severance Fire Rescue	LEAD Series - Chief Officer Future-Proofing the Fire Service: Succession Planning at the Chief Level Stephen Ingalls, Catalyzer		Fire Marshal Symposium New Employment Laws and Their Impact on Personnel Michelle Ferguson, Ireland Stapleton Pryor & Pascoe
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM	Networking Events Lunch in Exhibit Hall
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM	Keynote Session Keynote: Using Emotional Intelligence & Authentic Leadership to Create Followers and Leaders in Your Fire Department Paul Darley, W.S. Darley & Co.
2:30 PM - 3:00 PM	Networking Events Networking Break
2:45 PM - 3:30 PM	LEAD Series - Company Officer Developing Teams by Leaving the Ego at the Door and Baggage Behind Beth McGrath, McGrath Leadership	LEAD Series - Chief Officer Command Under Fire: A Chief Officer’s Analysis of the Mayday Incident - PART 1 Brian Kazmierzak, Benton Harbor Department of Public Safety		Fire Marshal Symposium Documenting the Journey: Using Task Books to Build the Fire Marshal Pipeline Sandra Friedrichsen, Windsor Severance Fire Rescue
3:45 PM - 4:30 PM	LEAD Series - Company Officer Effective Communication Under Pressure Chris Huttrer, Adams County Fire Rescue	LEAD Series - Chief Officer Beyond the Rescue: Strategic Recovery and Support Following a Mayday Event - PART 2 Brian Kazmierzak, Benton Harbor Department of Public Safety		Fire Marshal Symposium Warmth Without Risk; Keeping our Unhoused Population Safe Elizabeth Bednarcik, Brighton Fire Rescue District
4:30 PM - 6:00 PM	Networking Events Networking Reception
Friday, October 24, 2025
7:00 AM - 8:00 AM	Networking Events Breakfast
8:00 AM - 9:15 AM	LEAD Series - Chief Officer + Company Officer Command Presence in the Age of AI: Leading Through Chaos, Clarity, and Change Mitch Mitchem, HIVE Interactive		Fire Marshal Symposium Legislation, Leadership, and the Fire Service: A Fire Marshal Roundtable Steven Parker, Arvada Fire Protection District Emily Powell, Ireland Stapleton Pryor & Pascoe, PC Jesse Braughton, 3015 Policy MODERATED BY: TJ Steck, Elizabeth Fire Rescue
9:30 AM - 11:00 AM	Keynote Session Closing Keynote - Stronger Together: Federal and Local Perspectives on Wildfire, Hurricanes and Flood Response Deanne Criswell, Federal Emergency Management Agency Brian Fennessy, Orange County Fire Authority Jeremy Knighton, City of Asheville \| Asheville Fire Department MODERATED BY: Mark Novak, Vail Fire and Emergency Services

Check out the Agenda