WFCA IGNITE Symposium 2025 Conference Schedule
February 11-12, 2025
Red Rock Casino | Las Vegas, NV
Thank you to those who were a part of the Western Fire Chief's Association's inaugural IGNITE Symposium. Your participation helped make this premier fire conference a resounding success. Together, we explored new frontiers in Fire Service leadership, shared innovative solutions, and built lasting connections that will strengthen our community across the West. The dynamic discussions, educational sessions, and networking opportunities have laid a strong foundation for future conversations.
IGNITE Symposium's Agenda
Tuesday, Feb. 11
0900 – 0915
Welcome & Introductions
Mark Niemeyer, WFCA President
0915 – 0945
Leveraging Technology in Daily Operations
Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell, U.S. Fire Administrator
0945 – 1045
Panel Discussion
1045 – 1100
FirstNet Built by AT&T Presentation
Jeff Johnson, WFCA Chief Emeritus
1100 – 1130
Technology & Vendor Break
1130 – 1230
Workshops
| Wildfire Track | Tomorrow’s Fire: Today’s Fire Service | Kate Dargan Marquis, Senior Wildfire Advisor for the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation |
| Technology Track | Co-Piloting the Next Generation of Intelligence and Inter-Operability: The Public Safety Cloud | David Blankinship, President, Emergent Tech; Sai Narain, Director of Technology Strategy for State & Local Government, Microsoft; Dan Munsey, Fire Chief San Bernardino County |
| Health & Wellness Track | The Pitfalls of Being a Bison | Sara A Jahnke, Ph.D., Director & Senior Scientist, NDRI-USA |
1230 – 1345
Lunch
Osteria Fiorella and T-Bones Steakhouse
1345 – 1445
Workshops
| Wildfire Track | Don’t Shoot the Messenger: Comprehensive Wildfire Modeling in the WUI and Delivering Hard Truths to your Community Around Meaningful Risk Reduction | Judson Boomhower, Assistant Professor Department of Economics - University of California San Diego, Faculty Research Fellow - National Bureau of Economic Research; Matthew Portteus, Operations Advisor, WFCA |
| Technology Track | Beyond Cooperative Purchasing: Sourcewell’s Innovative Government to Government Solutions | Bob Seward, Vice President of Solution Development and Innovation; Crosby Grindle, Strategic Development - Public Safety |
| Health & Wellness Track | Putting Research into Practice: Updates from the FFCCS | Jeff Burgess, MD, MS, MPH Director, Center for Firefighter Health Collaborative Research; Kepra Jack, COO Co-founder, Owner HeartFit for Duty, LLC |
1445 – 1515
Technology & Vendor Break
1515 – 1615
Leading Beyond the Slide Shows
Todd Abel, Deputy AZ State Fire Management Officer of Operations for Department of Forestry & Fire Management
1615
Closing Remarks
Mark Niemeyer, WFCA President
1700 – 1900
All Attendee Reception
Wednesday, Feb. 12
0900 – 0930
Morning Update
Mark Niemeyer, WFCA President
0930 - 1000
The Power and Impact of Organ Donation: A Line of Duty Death Turned Call to Action
Kristina Moon, President Billy Moon Foundation
1000 - 1030
Post Traumatic Growth--- Leading Through the Struggle
Patrick Fale, Deputy Chief, Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue; Josh Goldberg, CEO, Boulder Crest Foundation
1030 - 1100
Technology & Vendor Break
1100 - 1200
Workshops
| Wildfire Track | Decision Support Tools for the Wildland-Urban Interface: Advancement in Technology | Brian Collins, Co-Investigator WFCA/NASA Fire Decision Model |
| Technology Track | AI can’t do that, YET | James Brown, Division Chief City of Monterey Fire Department (Ret.) |
| Health & Wellness Track | Challenges and Opportunities in Recruitment and Retention of Fire Personnel | Beth Huebner, Director, Watts Endowed Professor for Public Safety, Arizona State University; Brian Fennessy, Fire Chief Orange County Fire Authority; Mark Smith, Founder/Vice President MCS Solutions; Brad Bolen, Assistant Chief, Boise Fire Department; Moderated by Mark Niemeyer, Fire Chief, Boise Fire Department, WFCA President |
1200 – 1315
Lunch
Osteria Fiorella and T-Bones Steakhouse
1315 – 1415
Workshops
| Wildfire Track | Aerial Firefighting and the Future | Paul Petersen, Executive Director United Aerial Firefighters |
| Technology Track | It’s the Connection That Matters! How to Enable Your Field Communications and All the Technology That Comes with the IoT | Dustin Morrow Fire Chief, Central Pierce Fire and Rescue; Brent Van Keulen Deputy Chief, Central Pierce Fire and Rescue |
| Health & Wellness Track | Breaking the Status Quo: New Approaches to Reducing Firefighter Injuries | Andrew Holter, Ph.D. Owner, Organizational Psychologist FR Strategies |
1415 – 1445
Technology & Vendor Break
1445 – 1600
Closing Keynote: Elastic Resilience
Rebecca Rusch, Firefighter/EMT, World-Class Explorer, Professional Athlete, Acclaimed Speaker, Author
1600
Closing and Presentation of President’s Award
Mark Niemeyer, WFCA President
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