SEAFC 88th Annual Leadership ConferenceJune 14-16, 2016

Biloxi, MSSpeaker Bios

Chief John Salka – Battalion Chief (ret.), Fire Department, City of New York, NY

Battalion Chief John Salka served for 33 years with the FDNY and was the battalion commander of the 18th battalion in the Bronx. During his career with the FDNY chief Salka worked in some of the departments most active units including both rescue and squad companies in the special operations command. He is a nationally known lecturer and seminar presenter and has presented at the Firehouse Expo in Baltimore, the FDIC in Indianapolis, the NY State Association of Fire Chiefs show and many other venues. He is the author of three books “First In Last Out Leadership Lessons from the New York Fire Department” 2004, “The Engine Company” which was published in early 2009 and “Five Alarm Leadership” which was published in 2013.

Chief Timothy McConnell – Fire Chief, New Orleans Fire Department, LA

Chief McConnell started his career in 1984 as a Firefighter with the NOFD, progressed through the ranks and served as the Assistant Superintendent for five years and Interim Superintendent from February 2013 until his appointment as the 11th Superintendent of the New Orleans Fire Department in July 2013.

He served as a member of the City’s Overall Steering Committee and the NOFD Incident Commander for Super Bowl XLVII. He was the Deputy Incident Commander for the NOFD during Hurricane Katrina.

After Hurricane Katrina he inspired residents to return by leading the fire station recovery project utilizing private donations, volunteers and firefighters to restore twenty of the twenty-three engine houses that suffered flood and storm damage during Hurricane Katrina, as well as the restoration of two New Orleans Recreation Department Playgrounds.

Chief McConnell worked with members from all levels of the Department to develop and implement a Redeployment plan in 2013 which reformed the organizational structure of the NOFD and instituted greater efficiencies and accountability.

He has increased both firefighter and public safety by advancing initiatives such as aggressive fire prevention, education, community service programs and through the implementation of strict incident safety protocol and accountability throughout the fire department. The Chief is committed to continuing the development of the New Orleans Fire Department into an innovative First Responder agency that is able to keep stride with the vibrant and growing City of New Orleans.

Chief McConnell has received numerous awards such as, The “Order of St. Louis Medal” from Archbishop Alfred Hughes, for Leadership and Service to the Archdiocese of New Orleans in 2007 and New Orleans Fire Department “Superintendent’s Award” in 2008, just to mention a few.

He is last of seven children born to New Orleans natives from the City’s “3rd Ward.” Chief McConnell is married to his childhood sweet-heart, Beth for 29 years. Having been born and raised here, he developed passionate ties to New Orleans and both values and has a strong commitment to the diversity and unique culture that makes the City of New Orleans a great place to live, work and visit.

Curt Isakson – Battalion Chief, Escambia County Fire Rescue, FL

Curt Isakson is a 26 year veteran of the fire service. Curt is currently a Battalion Chief for Escambia County Fire Rescue. Curt previously worked 9 years with the Pensacola Fire Department where he was assigned as the Company Officer on Rescue 31. Curt’s fire service experiences started at a young age as a junior firefighter with the Midway Fire Protection District, where he rose through the ranks to Captain. He has worked in volunteer, career, and combination departments.

Curt has held all ranks up to Battalion Chief, and has been assigned to Operations, Training, and Inspections. He was the Chief of Special Operations for 7 years. Curt owns and operates countyfiretactics.com, a website that discusses and covers a very diverse range of fire tactics and suppression tactics. Curt lectures and conducts hands on training at many major conferences; including FDIC, Firehouse Expo, Firehouse World, Orlando Fire Conference, Metro Atlanta Fire Conference, Bowling Green State University, and many other venues. He is a Florida state certified Fire Officer, Fire Instructor, Arson Investigator, and Urban Search and Rescue Technician.

John Tippett – Deputy Chief, Charleston Fire Department, SC

John B. Tippett Jr., CFO, FIFireE, is a deputy chief with the Charleston (SC) Fire Department. He is a 42-year veteran of the fire service, spending 35 years in Montgomery County, Maryland before moving to Charleston in 2009. John holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Fire Science and a Master’s Degree in Emergency Services Management. He worked extensively on national firefighter safety initiatives from 2000 to 2009 including introducing Crew Resource Management to the fire service and the Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System. John writes and lectures frequently on a wide variety of fire service leadership related topics. He earned his Chief Fire Officer Designation from CPSE, is a board member on the International Association of Fire Chief’s Safety, Health and Survival Section, holds a certified health and safety officer credential through the Fire Department Safety Officers’ Association and was the 2006 recipient of the George D. Post Instructor of the Year from the International Society of Fire Service Instructors.

John Jennings – Deputy Chief, Biloxi Fire Department, MS

John Jennings currently serves as the Deputy Chief of Training for the Biloxi Fire Department in Biloxi, Mississippi, a position he has held since 2004. He began his career at the Biloxi Fire Department in 1990, holding positions including Firefighter, Driver/Operator, Captain, and Temporary Training Officer. Jennings has successfully completed over 3,200 hours of training, in addition to coordinating over 30,000 hours of training per year. He is the recipient of the 2002/2003 Firefighter of the Year award and was awarded the Chiefs Medal after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Jennings is an active volunteer in his community, servings a permanent Deacon for the Biloxi Diocese assigned to Holy Spirit Catholic Church and Christ the King Mission. He is also the Chaplin for the Biloxi Fire Department, a member of the South Mississippi Critical Incident Stress Management Team, a Board Member for the Coastal Credit Union, and a CPR/AED Certified Instructor.

Chief Tommy Jones – Fire Chief, Griffin Fire Department, GA

Chief Tommy Jones is the Fire Chief in Griffin, Georgia and is in his 29 th year with the department. Originally from Griffin, Chief Jones attended Mercer University and obtained a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Communications with a specialty in Public Relations. Before his appointment to Fire Chief in 2005, Chief Jones served for 14 years as the Fire Marshal, which enabled him to become Police Certified through the Georgia POST Council. This position afforded him an opportunity to attend the Georgia Law Enforcement Command College and earn his Masters Degree in Public Administration from Columbus State University.

Chief Jones engages in his community by serving in many leadership positions. He is Past-President of the Griffin Daybreak Rotary Club and the Griffin-Spalding County United Way. He is the co-founder of the University of Georgia-Griffin Campus, Institute of Disaster Management, the co-founder of the City of Griffin Leadership Development Institute, and the principle visionary of the Gordon State College ‘Weekend College’ program.

Chief Jones is married to Kristin and they have 3 children….Grayson 24, Ragan 21, and Max 8. He is an avid writer with over a dozen published articles in national magazines and a conference speaker.

Alan J. Martin – Fire Chief, Tuscaloosa Fire and Rescue, AL

Chief Martin began his fire service career in 1974 as a firefighter for Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service in Alabama. He held the rank of Fire Lieutenant, Station Captain, Battalion Chief, Assistant Chief of Administration, Assistant Chief of Operations, Assistant Chief of Training and Safety, and Assistant Chief of Emergency Medical Services and Operations. In July 2002, he was sworn in as the eighth Fire Chief of the City of Tuscaloosa.While a firefighter, he completed the Certified Paramedic program at the University of Alabama in Birmingham (1991), an Associate Degree in Fire Science from Jefferson State Community College (1979) and a Bachelor of Science in Public Safety Administration from Athens State College (1993). He is a 2000 graduate of the Executive Fire Officer Program at the National Fire Academy.

Chief Martin is an active member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, STAC (Statewide Trauma and Health Systems Advisory Council), and several other distinguished organizations. He is also past President of the Alabama Fire Chiefs Association and of the Central Alabama Fire Chiefs Association.

In 2014, Chief Martin was named Alabama Career Fire Chief of the Year, Southeastern Career Fire Chief of the Year and International Career Fire Chief of the Year.

Dan Eggleston – Fire Rescue Chief, Albemarle County Department of Fire Rescue, VA

Chief Dan Eggleston began his fire service career in 1978 and is currently the career Fire Rescue Chief with the Albemarle County Department of Fire Rescue, a 700 member combination department that serves a 723 square mile urban/rural area.

Chief Eggleston has an AAS Degree in Engineering, a BS degree in business, and a MS degree in Emergency Management from the University of Richmond. He is a graduate from the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program and received his Chief Fire Officer Designation (CFO) and Chief Medical Officer Designation from the Commission on Fire Accreditation International.

Chief Eggleston is a Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Fire programs adjunct fire instructor and is a Board member with the International Association of Fire Chiefs and the Virginia Fire Chief Association. He has published many articles and research papers relating to fire and EMS administration and emergency management and has lectured and consulted throughout the country.

Nancy Carbone – Friends of Firefighters, Inc., New York City, NY

Nancy has a background in education and maternal health. As a long-time resident of the Carroll Gardens community, Nancy had several friends on the job at the time of 9/11. She immediately began to support the firefighter community. Quickly, they stated their need for a place to gather separate from the department. She recognized the unique long-term needs of the fire department members and, with their support and encouragement, founded an organization dedicated to meeting those needs. Since September 2001 she has served as head of Friends of Firefighters, Inc. In November 2014, she was named Honorary Battalion Chief by the New York City Fire Department.