1st Due Operations Conference

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Chief Alan Griffin has over 29 years of fire service experience.  He is currently the Fire Chief of Carolina Beach Fire Department where he has held that position for over 10 years.  Prior to this 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. Before his paid career, Alan volunteered for Seagrove Fire Department and throughout his professional emergency services career. Chief Griffin has over 25 years of teaching experience as a North Carolina certified instructor, he has delivered presentations to numerous fire departments, seminars, and large conference including 1st Due Operations conference, County Fire Tactics conference in Florida, and both North and South Carolina Fire Chief's conference. Alan is the owner of 1st Due Tactics, a company dedicated to improving and motivating today's fire service through quality instruction. 

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.

Steve has been in the fire service for 33 years, the last 29 of which have been with the Columbus Ohio Division of Fire. Steve currently serves as the Lieutenant on Engine Company 18 in the South Linden neighborhood of Columbus. Steve has been a classroom instructor at FDIC for the past several years teaching engine company operations. Additionally, Steve is the lead instructor of the FDIC HOT program Stretching For Success. Steve is an instructor for County Fire Tactics and has taught engine company tactics nationally. For the past 26 years, Steve has also been a state-certified Fire Safety instructor. He is also a past member of the State of Ohio Fire Training Committee.  

Kyle Romagus is a 20-year veteran with East Montgomery County Fire Department, oversees the training division as a Battalion Chief, and is in love with engine work. Kyle is the owner of Smoothbore Cartel and founder of Engine Company Resurrection. Kyle teaches engine operations for several well-known fire service instructor groups including FD Tactics, Brothers in Battle, Oathkeepers Engine Cadre, and is also the admin of Engine Company Resurrection. His organization provides sponsorship opportunities for firefighters to attend conferences around the country.  

Kyle’s primary objective is to share knowledge about the value of engine work with his fellow firefighters. Kyle travels the country providing lectures and hands-on training on engine company skills and provides one of the most compelling lectures on fire attack in the industry. His efforts are well known, respected, and his instructional methodology is second to none. 

Paul Watlington is battalion chief of training for the Burlington (NC) Fire Department with 22 years of service. He has an associate degree in fire protection technology and is pursuing a bachelor of science in emergency and disaster management. He is a chief training officer designee with the Center for Public Safety Excellence. He is also a published author with Fire Engineering magazine .

Captain Rob Ramirez has been a student of the Fire Service for over 24 years and holds a degree in Fire Science and Public Administration. Rob is a state-certified Fire Instructor II, Fire Officer II, Safety Officer, and Live Fire Training Officer. Since 2006, he has served as a Rescue Team Manager for the Department of Homeland Security F.E.M.A. U.S.A.R. Florida Task Force 2 out of Miami, Fl. He has been on many high-profile USAR deployments, including the Haiti earthquake in 2010 and major Hurricanes Katrina, Harvey, Florence, and Ian. Rob is the lead Instructor of Fire, Military, and Special Operations classes for National Rescue Consultants, an all-hazards national training company based in West Palm Beach, Florida. He co-founded the Firefighter Advanced Survival Techniques program, formerly delivered at the Coral Springs Fire Academy in Florida from 2014-2018. Rob is also the lead instructor for the Firefighter Rescue and Survival program at the Ft. Lauderdale Fire Training Expo and travels nationally throughout the year as a guest instructor/speaker at various Fire Conferences. Throughout his Fire Service career, he has held the ranks of Firefighter, Paramedic, Lieutenant, Dept. Training Officer, and Captain. He is currently assigned to the Operations Division of a busy urban Truck company in South Florida. 

Clyde Gordon is a District Chief with the City of Houston Fire Department. He has 36 years as a proven leader in the fire service and 30 years within the Houston Fire Department. Chief Gordon offers a unique blend of leadership, vision, and knowledge. He has a reputation for a strong work ethic, exceptional fire ground operations, and management, and building uncompromising integrity and responsibility in a crew.

Chief Gordon believes in continuous improvement of fire ground skills and operations through regular and consistent training. He is known for his teaching through honest and personal first-hand experience. Clyde spent over 10 years as an instructor with Lone Star College in Cypress, Texas.

Don Clark (Dad) -  Nearing 40 years in the fire service, Dad is a Captain at Salisbury Fire Dept. currently assigned to Truck Co. 1 

Chris Clark -  Chris has been in the fire service for 14 years and is currently assigned to a truck company in a southeast metro department as a fireman. 

Cody Clark -  Cody has 10 years of experience in both small and large departments. He is a fireman at Kannapolis Fire Dept. currently assigned to 34 Truck.