John J. Salka Jr. is a battalion chief with the Fire Department of New York with more than 30 years of service, 23 of them as an officer. His vast experience includes assignments to just about every type of unit in the FDNY including engine, ladder, squad, and rescue companies. He is involved in lecturing, instructing, and consulting nationally and internationally. His book First In Last Out, Leadership Lessons From The New York Fire Department was published in 2004 and is the basis for his new “Leadership” lecture series. His book The Engine Company was released in 2009.

Peter Van Dorpe is a 30-year veteran of and chief of training for the Chicago (IL) Fire Department assigned to the 14th Battalion. He has a bachelor’s degree in fire science management from Southern Illinois University. In addition to his work as a field instructor for the Illinois Fire Service Institute, he is a lead instructor for the Chicago Fire Department's Fire Officer School and teaches building construction for the fire service through the City Colleges of Chicago. He participated as a subject matter expert for Underwriters Laboratories' research on "Structural Stability of Engineered Lumber Under Fire Conditions" and the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s “Evaluating Firefighting Tactics Under Wind Driven Conditions.”

Mike Daley has spent more than 23 years in the fire service and has held many officer positions in career and volunteer fire departments. He is a lieutenant and training officer with Monroe Township (NJ) Fire District #3 and an instructor with the Middlesex County Fire Academy. He is a rescue officer with the New Jersey Task Force 1–Urban Search and Rescue. Daley has degrees in business management and public safety administration and is the founder and managing member for Fire Service Performance Concepts, a consulting group that provides assistance and support to fire departments who want aid with their training divisions, in-house course development, and procedural guidance.

Michael M. Dugan is a 25-year veteran of the Fire Department of New York and captain of Ladder Company 123 in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. As a lieutenant, Dugan served in Ladder Company 42 in the South Bronx. While assigned as a firefighter in Ladder Company 43, in Spanish Harlem, he received the James Gordon Bennett medal in 1992 and the Harry M. Archer Medal in 1993, the FDNY’s highest award for bravery. He is also a former volunteer firefighter in the Halesite (NY) Fire Department. He has been involved with the fire service for 36 years.

Michael Hennigan, a 35-year veteran of the San Francisco (CA) Fire Department, retired in 2005 as a battalion chief. He has a bachelor of science degree in business from the University of San Francisco. He is certified by the California State Fire Marshal to teach management and tactics. He is a California state certified instructor, fire prevention officer, and chief officer. For the past 10 years, he has taught numerous fire departments throughout northern California, is an instructor for City College of San Francisco, and is a three-time lecturer at FDIC. He travels throughout the country teaching company officers “inspirational leadership” and writes “Captain’s Corner” for www.FireEngineering.com. 

Steve Bernocco is a 19-year veteran of the Seattle (WA) Fire Department, where he is a lieutenant on Ladder 10. He has written numerous articles and teaches internationally on the topics of air management, firefighter safety and survival, and fireground strategy and tactics with the “Seattle Guys.” He is a coauthor of Air Management for the Fire Service (Fire Engineering, 2008) and is the co-creator of the Rule of Air Management (ROAM). 

Kevin Kalmus, a 15-year veteran of the fire service, is a lieutenant with Austin (TX) Fire Department Engine 16. He has a B.A. from Georgetown University and an M.S. from the University of Texas. He is the author of the soon-to-be-released FireNotes: Engine Company Operator (Fire Department Training Network).

Russ Johnson
Mr. Russ Johnson has served as the public safety/homeland security director for ESRI since 1997. His responsibilities include coordinating ESRI’s public safety industry marketing activities in the areas of homeland security, fire, emergency medical services, and disaster management.