MHFC 2021:

Lineup:

Friday October 1st: Lecture Series

Jim Hensel: Mayhem Mindset (1.5 hours)

Do you know your personal core beliefs and values? Do you have an Ethos? Find why you need to know these answers in order to navigate your life’s up and downs in your career, relationships, and when you need to make a critical life decision.

Jeff Shupe: Engine Company Ops: Past to Present (1.5 hours)

Jeff Shupe will discuss the changes, both positive and negative over his decades in the fire service.  Understanding where we came from gives you insight into where we are going.

Cody Trestrail: Winning the Fireground (4 hours)

Six musts for them.

MHFC 2021 Hands-On-Training lineup:

Firefighter Craftsmanship: Human Performance for the Fireground.

Course Information: “Human Performance for the Fireground” is an intensive 2-Day class. Mental Preparedness is consistently regarded as the foundation that sets one human apart from another. Olympians, Special Forces, Police, and even Youth Athletes are intentionally training their mental and physiological skills so they can perform at optimal levels.  Even with the proven benefits of this style of training, the American Fire Service generally disregards the importance of intentionally training the mental aspect of the job and instead states “We’ll figure it out when we get there.”  This attitude and approach has severe and even possibly catastrophic consequences.

Human Performance For The Fireground is a two-day class that will guide you through scientifically proven mental training techniques to optimize fireground success. You can expect to be challenged, inspired, and given the tools needed to consistently work on your mental approach to the job.  Both days integrate classroom and hands-on sessions where you will learn how to combat your physiological stress response, breathing techniques both in and out of SCBA, tactical fitness training, and recovery tactics to help ensure you are successful on the fireground and also when you’re off duty.  This class will also dive into the positive impact of imagery training, simple nutrition and the tremendous impact of sleep all while expanding basic principles in a fun, relaxed and stress free environment.  This class will help you maximize your potential and lead to your highest level of performance on the fire scene, in the firehouse and even in day-to-day life!  Full PPE including SCBA pack and mask are required but modifications can be made if necessary. Firefighter Craftsmanship

Instructor Bios:

Jon McKeon is a Captain with Poudre Fire Authority and is assigned to Tower 1 in Old Town Fort Collins. Jon started in the fire service in 2002 and was hired with PFA in 2005. In his time at PFA he has been a part of the department fitness committee, technical rescue working groups, has been an instructor for the Front Range Fire Consortium Academy, and is a member of Colorado USAR Task Force-1.

Jon graduated in 1996 from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro with a Bachelor degree in Biology. In addition to spending time with his wife and two kids, Jon owns and coaches at CrossFit Evolve in Fort Collins, which opened in 2010.

Kevin Housley is a Captain with the Poudre Fire Authority in Ft. Collins, CO. He started his fire service career in 2005 and was the founder of Firefighter Craftsmanship in 2017. Kevin has served in many roles with PFA including engine, truck & training division assignments, In 2017 Kevin was the lead instructor of the largest fire academy in the state of CO and was a finalist for the Colorado Firefighter Instructor of the year.

Kevin obtained his BSBA from the University of Denver in 2000. Kevin is married to Kristi and has three wonderful children Grady (7), Graham (6), and Caroline (1). Kevin is the Co-Chair of the Terry Farrell Firefighters Fund-Colorado Chapter and enjoys giving back to the fire service through this organization.

Scott Hardin/Jay Bettencourt/Trey Young: Rapid Intervention & FF Survival.

Course Information: This 2 day R.I.T and survival class is designed to engage the participant in a visceral way. By sharing drills and techniques learned from rescues, personal survival, and Line of Duty Deaths; students will move from basic techniques to dynamic scenarios that are pulled from real life events. Students will leave with tangible Rescue skills that can be used on the job and shared with company and department members. Emphasis will be placed on creating realistic conditions giving participants a glimpse of what it may be like to use these skill.

Instructor Bios:

Scott Hardin: Started fire service in 1979 as a firefighter with the South Gastonia VFD, went to work for the City of Gastonia for 4 years then spent 28 years with the City of Charlotte retiring as a Captain on Ladder co 4. Currently a member of the Crowders Mountain VFD. Instructor since 1990, NC live fire certified that same year. Lead instructor for the NC Breathing Equipment Firefighter Survival school since 1996. Adjunct instructor for the Fire Department Training Network in Indianapolis.

Jay Bettencourt is a member of the Asheville Fire Department where he has worked for 10 years. Most of that time has been as a member of Rescue Company 3. Jay Instructs R.I.T. and Firefighter survival at home and a variety of other venues. He’s also a member of the North Carolina Breathing Equipment School cadre.

Trey Young, a 15 year fire service veteran, proudly serves the City of Asheville as a Lieutenant.  He instructs Firefighter Survival, Rapid Intervention, Live Fire, Technical Rescue, and Truck Company Operations programs throughout the country.  He serves as an Instructor at the North Carolina Breathing Equipment and Firefighter Survival School.  Trey, a United States Marine veteran, has a beautiful wife and an awesome little boy.

Irons and Ladders: Forcible Entry. One day course taught twice.

This is a full day forcible entry class beginning with a morning classroom session designed primarily for door size up. Students will view videos and pictures regarding residential and commercial forcible entry, through the lock forcible entry and other forcible entry techniques followed by a hands on through the lock class where participants practice manipulating every common lock found on the market today. The remainder of the day is hands on forcible entry. Students will rotate through four stations and will force inward and outward swinging doors numerous times using one and two person techniques. Participants will also defeat carriage bolts and drop bars using the irons and practice numerous saw techniques to disable security devices. Other evolutions include forcing security screen doors, commercial saw work and window security bars. Participants will also discuss garage door tactics and cover padlock forcible entry.

Eric Wheaton: Live-Fire Can Confidence. 1 day course taught twice

Course Information: This class is designed to build confidence on one of the most often neglected tools found on nearly every fire apparatus the 2 1/2-gallon water extinguisher. The “Can” can be an extremely effective lifesaving tool by allowing a well-trained firefighter to quickly apply water between fire and victims. Attendees will learn proper filling and pressurization steps, how to build homemade carrying straps and other useful “Can” modifications. The class will also cover valuable skills on carrying and searching with the “Can,” and confining fire with it. Students will cycle through a “force an interior door off its hinges” prop and use this door to hold back live fire and smoke. Finally, attendees will perform live fire attacks with nothing more than a “Can” and witness the effect of the “Can” on pre-flashover conditions.

Instructor Bio: Eric Wheaton is a second generation fireman for the Winter Park Fire Department and currently serves as a Lieutenant on Truck 61. Eric has spent the majority of his 14 year career on the Truck Company and serves on the Winter Park Fire Department Technical Rescue Team. He is the owner of VentEnterSearch LLC. Eric is an instructor for the Truck Company Operations and Special Operations programs at Valencia College’s Central Florida Fire Institute and has taught at many Fire conferences around the country. He holds an associate degree in Fire Science and is an advisory board member on the UL- FSRI Size-up and search and rescue study.

Jeff Shupe: Aggressive, Offensive Engine Operations. 1 day class taught twice.

Course Information: The Engine Company is the most important company on the fire ground for fire extinguishment. It is critical that engine firefighters work as a team to attack and control fires and kill them with over whelming force to save lives and stop destruction by fire when necessary. This class starts with everyone working together as team members. The philosophy of this training is for the team to attack the fire with overwhelming force. Students will begin class working with different size hand lines and nozzles and reviewing the importance of proper pump and nozzle pressures. Students will go over nozzle mechanics and hand line management techniques along with how to advance lines while using fire streams to their best advantage. Students will also review and work with heavy stream appliances and how to use them in an offensive manner. After this session students will rotate through skill groups, going over the basics of hose line advancement, fire attack, and following general firefighting strategies to Locate, Confine and Extinguishment a fire. Students will work as engine company/crew members during scenarios. Teamwork, accountability and safety will be covered and how to be more efficient for fire attack.

Instructor Bio: Jeff Shupe began his career in 1974 and retired from the Cleveland (OH) Fire Department in 2011. He then served briefly as a Division Chief in North Myrtle Beach (SC) Fire and Rescue. He has also served as a volunteer firefighter. He is an Ohio certified fire instructor. He was a Field Training Officer for the State of Ohio Fire Academy for 24 years and taught for many years in basic and advanced firefighter training programs. Shupe has authored numerous fire service articles over the years for Fire Engineering, FIREHOUSE, and FireNuggets.com. He instructs and consults on engine company and fire ground operations, procedures and practices. He has an associate degree in Fire Technology from a community college and attended University of Cincinnati Fire Protection Engineering program.

Thomas Anderson: Intelligently Aggressive Search Ahead of the Line. 1 day class.

Course Information: This live-fire hands-on training course will provide the tools and techniques necessary on the modern fire ground to make the fire crew Intelligently Aggressive. By understanding and utilizing thermal imaging from a tactical perspective, the search crews are able to take their results from 60% failure, to a 90% success rate. The methodologies taught in this course allows firefighters to locate and remove victims up to 70% faster. The concepts demonstrated in this course gives the firefighter their sight back in the zero-visibility environments. These concepts enhance firefighter’s situational awareness that allows for more efficient searches, enhance resources management, and enhance firefighters’ abilities to size-up the fire environment. We will discuss and demonstrate door control, water can operations, crew and victim isolation for rescue, primary search, VES, and more in this objective driven course designed to make firefighters more Intelligently Aggressive through Tactical Thermal Imaging.

Instructor Bio: Thomas Anderson has been in the fire service for 16 years; he began in the volunteer service in a rural area of Kentucky, and is currently as a Captain on Ladder-24 with the Charlotte Fire Dept. in NC. He is a lifelong student of the fire service, his studies have lead him to a have a passion in basic firemanship, aggressive and efficient search skills and fire behavior, with a basis that understanding the thermal environment is essential. Thomas has an Associate’s Degree in Fire Science from Central Piedmont Community College and is currently in pursuit of his Bachelor’s Degree in Fire Administration; he is an associate instructor for Insight Fire Training LLC, a company that specializes in fire ground thermal imaging and its incorporation into all aspects of fire ground application. Insight Training has taught in 40 states and 6 countries and are regular instructors at FDIC and Firehouse Expo.

Brothers in Battle:  VES Beyond the Door. 1 day class

Course Information: Beyond the door is not just speaking about physically searching beyond the door but thinking outside the check box that has consumed most VES training.

We will use experience, statistics, building construction knowledge and tempo to occupy the spaces where victims are most likely to be found and put THEM first!

We will put you in real world scenarios, environments and layouts that will reinforce your current VES skills and when, why, or how to move beyond the standard check box VES training.

Some situations include: what to do if there is no door to control, can multiple FF’s perform VES, do conditions allow us to continue the search beyond the door, how to deal with access / egress problems, victim removal issues, victims presenting at windows and much more.

SKILLS & TOPICS

• Window cuts
• Baby Drop / Conscious Victim Ladder Assist
• Interior door off hinges removal / Isolation challenges
• Continuing search beyond the door
• Large open area’s / rooms with no doors for isolation
• Multiple beds / bunks / cribs
• Access / egress obstacles like cyclone gates, fences, window bars, cars (obstacles

may vary based on training locations)

• Dirty drags
• Mask up skills
• ladder carries & throws

Fit to Fight Fire & Kevin Shea: Master The Basics. 2 day class

Course Information: This 2-day HOT Class is designed to get you back to the basics of firefighting. The first day consists of a morning workout, followed by skills stations (hose, forcible entry, search, ladders, masking up, water supply, etc.) that will be instructed by FTFF and other East Metro Firefighters.  Evolutions will follow on the second day that build on the combination of multiple skills and increase speed/efficiency while at the same time adding stress. The goal is to create an environment similar to the fire ground in order to “practice how we play.”

Instructor Bios:

Tom Johnson is a Truck Company Captain with East Metro (CO) Fire Rescue. He spent two and a half years as an instructor at the Training Academy and is the co-founder of Fit To Fight Fire.

John Spera started his career in Florida and now currently holds the position of Fire Medic with South Metro (CO) Fire Rescue. He spent five years as an instructor at the Training Academy with East Metro (CO) Fire Rescue. He is the co-founder of Fit To Fight Fire.

Craig Stalowy started his fire service career in the Chicago area and is currently working as a Fire Medic on a Truck Company for East Metro (CO) Fire Rescue.

Kevin Shea joined the fire service in 1978 as a volunteer and then joined FDNY in 1984. He served on Engine 227 and Ladder 108 in Brooklyn, and Rescue 1 in Manhattan. He retired in 1998 due to injuries from the first WTC bombing, but is still involved in the fire service today through speaking and instruction.

Next Level Extrication/ Rescue Redefined: Over the Road Extrication. 1 day class.

This course is designed to give you all the necessary tools to perform vehicle extrications.  Six pits taught by different instructors will emphasize a variety of ways to overcome different obstacles.  From vehicle stabilization on an uneven surface, understanding modern vehicles including important safety considerations related to EV and hybrids, as well as down and dirty basics of vehicle extrication, students will walk away having a well rounded view of all things extrication.  This hands-on event is designed for both new and advanced firefighters to improve your performance for your next call.

Rescue Redefined Instructors

Steve Kimker retired from Richmond Heights Fire Department after serving for 25 years. The last 5 years he served as the training captain, in the central core of St. Louis County, Missouri. For 19 years, Steve was a lead instructor for the St. Louis County Fire Academy. He is a Level II instructor and Lead Evaluator for the Missouri Division of Fire Safety, teaching and evaluating classes in multiple disciplines on a regional, state, and national level. He has AAS degree in Fire Science from ECC and is an Advanced Tactical Paramedic.  Additionally, Steve specializes in teaching vehicle extrication, tactical medicine, technical rescue, swift water rescue, and SCBA.

Teaching Vehicle Rescue and Tactical EMS classes Internationally has allowed Steve to hone his skills and techniques. His attention to detail and street-smart approach to vehicle extrication enables him to take complicated situations and break them down into a streamlined approach. One of Steve’s biggest strengths is helping students learn to remain calm during challenging situations. His strength in teaching students to calmly evaluate, plan, and execute real-life scenarios provides them the opportunity to develop their skill sets in order to perfect their techniques.

Matt Capshaw is a 20 years veteran with the Oklahoma City Fire Department. He served 8 years in the United States marine Corps before becoming a firefighter. Matt currently is protecting the citizens of OKC as a Lieutenant assigned to Ladder 16/Rescue 16; he has held this assignment for the past 6 years. Matt is an NFPA 1670 certified vehicle rescue instructor, with a desire to learn everything he can about technical rescue. He has concentrated in honing his skills and abilities in Vehicle Rescue, Hybrid vehicles, and Electric vehicle response. Matt feels it is important to keep up to date on the ever-changing world of vehicle rescue. He has attended classes all over the country and seeks to improve his knowledge every day.  Matt enjoys sharing what he has learned with his fellow firefighters and students at every opportunity. Matt also has a background with operating and working on heavy machinery and understands the challenges of heavy rigging and stabilization needed for these types of response

Next Level Instructors

Paul Shoemaker is the owner of Next Level Extrication. He currently serves on the ladder truck on the technical rescue team and has been in the fire service for about 14 years. He has spent 11 years of this time learning and teaching extrication. He has spent the last 5 years running the company and teaching students from Colorado to the East coast. He currently has extensive training with electric vehicles and excellent understanding of Tesla Vehicles. He has had the opportunity to train with Tesla to provide informational videos to teach firefighters the proper techniques for cutting Tesla’s safely. He is also currently working with NFPA as the SME for electric vehicle extrication and electric vehicle fires. He has a strong focus on stabilization techniques and the proper understanding of lifting capabilities when dealing with struts, airbags, straps and chains and incorporates this in all of his trainings.

Matt Godson he has been in the fire service for 6 years. He started his career with Windsor Severance Fire Rescue for two years before joining Tri-Lakes Monument Fire Protection District in 2017. His current position is assigned to the truck as a firefighter. Much of the district that Tri-Lakes serves consists of high speed rural roadways but also covers several major highways including CO State Hwy 83 and I-25 corridor which lead to difficult and unique extrications. Since joining the fire service I’ve developed a passion for vehicle extrication and have attended several classes across the state to improve my knowledge. Every class I attend I learn something new and I’m excited to share that knowledge with my fellow firefighters. Over the last 2 years I’ve worked with our training division to develop extrication trainings to further our extrication abilities and skills.

Ben is a Captain with West Metro Fire at Station 8 where they house a Tower and Engine.  He’s been with West Metro for 15 years.  He has been teaching Auto Extrication to the members of West Metro for over a decade at both the academy level and advanced company level.  He has taught externally at Arvada Auto X as well as the Mile High Firefighters conference.  He has a strong emphasis on solid basic technique to lay the foundation for efficient extrications.  He believes strongly that there is no one way to perform all extrications and that the strong foundation will allow you to adapt to any situation.

ELEVATOR RESCUE Rescue 4 Operations

Course Description:

Elevator rescue is one of the most common call types that fire departments respond to in the technical rescue realm.  However, elevator rescue is one of the least understood disciplines in tech rescue.    This may be due to lack of guiding documents and the availability of elevator rescue courses.

This 8-hour operations level course is a combination of lecture and hands on.  In the lecture you will go over elevator history, terminology, types, components of elevator systems and the recall and rescue sequences.  During the hands on portion, you will get to practice recall and rescue techniques.   These will include a step-by-step process to restore the elevator to normal operations.  You will also have the opportunity to practice picking, poling, car-top rescue and drifting a hydraulic elevator.  Finally, Phase I and Phase II operations will be addressed.

Instructor Bio:

Kevin Fields is a 16 year veteran of the fire service.  He is currently a Captain with the Poudre Fire Authority (Fort Collins, CO) and assigned to Engine 1 in the downtown high-rise district.  Kevin is also a rescue specialist with CO-TF1.  Kevin is the former training officer for the Eaton Fire Protection District (Eaton, CO).  He has been teaching elevator rescue for the past 7 years.