Aaron recently retired as a 25-year veteran of Seattle Fire and assumed the role of Assistant Chief of Training and Operations with Camano Island Fire and Rescue in August of 2025. Acknowledged by his peers at Seattle FD as Firefighter of the Year in 2011, awarded the Fire Engineering/International Society of Fire Service Instructors George D. Post Instructor of the Year award in 2017, and creator of the Nozzle Forward Program, Aaron has been described as articulate, dynamic and magnetic. He identifies most as a 'Sharer of ideas'. He and his Cadre have taught over 70,000 members of the fire service across North America since the program's inception. He has delivered a keynote at FDIC and contributed to the work of the FSRI as a member of their Fire Attack Technical Panel. He is married with two children.

Sponsorship: @southwest_fire_academy 

Editing: @bradshea

Marketing: @m.pletz

Administration: @haileygreenfitness

Partnership: @firefighternationhq

Mid-roll Sponsor: @rescue_squad_ironworks

Photo Credit: @justinidephotography

Rob “Robbie” Fisher is a retired battalion chief from Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue. He has been a student of the fire service for over 36 years. Before his promotion to Battalion Chief, Rob spent 20 years as a company officer, 15 of those assigned to the department’s only ladder company. He was also a member of Snohomish County’s regional technical rescue team. Additionally, Chief Fisher has held multiple assignments in the Training Division, including serving as the former Chief of the Snohomish County Fire Training Academy (SCFTA) and as a cadre instructor for live-fire and truck operations.

Rob instructs with multiple cadres. In addition to Brothers in Battle, he is affiliated with County Fire Tactics, Roof Pervs, and the Highwaymen. Rob also co-founded Young Officers on Fire, an online mentoring/leadership group.

Robbie has been an active member with the Puget Sound FOOLS since 2002. He has been on the International’s E-board since 2013. He was the Education/Training Chair until he accepted a new position within the International as the West Coast Region Representative in 2022.

 When not instructing or talking about the job, Rob enjoys travelling with his wife of 33 years, Jodie. He enjoys cooking, wine, music, and spending time with his two granddaughters.

@robfisher72

Sponsorship: @southwest_fire_academy 

Editing: @bradshea

Marketing: @m.pletz

Administration: @haileygreenfitness

Partnership: @firefighternationhq

Mid-roll Sponsor: @rescue_squad_ironworks

Robert Policht is a lieutenant with Ladder Company 2 of the Passaic Fire Department, where he also serves on the Fire Investigation Unit.

⠀

Policht is a former volunteer chief and has taught at academies, including the Bergen County Fire Academy, and is the President of the Liberty F.O.O.L.S. He holds a master’s in Emergency Management and Homeland Security from Arizona State University. He serves on the NJ Division of Fire Safety’s Fire Threat Task Force, is a Safety Officer for the NJ-AHIMT, and contributes to the Firehouse Magazine editorial advisory board.

⠀

His work has been featured in Firehouse, Fire Engineering, NJFMBA newsletters, textbooks, and through the Blue Collar Firemen cadre. As founder of Flow and Vent, Policht leads international training, consulting, and podcasting focused on fireground readiness, legacy, and innovation.

@flowandvent

Sponsorship: @southwest_fire_academy

Editing: @bradshea

Marketing: @m.pletz

Administration: @haileygreenfitness

Partnership: @firefighternationhq

Amanda Harry is a Registered Social Worker and Psychotherapist who specializes in supporting firefighters and other first responders through trauma-informed care. Drawing on over two decades of frontline and clinical experience, Amanda helps those who serve their communities navigate the impact of high-pressure work—addressing trauma, managing stress, and staying connected to their sense of purpose. Through evidence-based approaches like EMDR, mindfulness, and self-compassion, she equips first responders with tools to prepare for and process critical incidents, sustain emotional wellness, and continue doing the work they value most.

Beyond her clinical role, Amanda consults on mental health program design and delivery and continues to advocate for accessible, compassionate care across the fire service community.

Learn more at www.amandaharry.com or contact [email protected].

Sponsorship: @southwest_fire_academy

Editing: @bradshea

Marketing: @m.pletz

Administration: @haileygreenfitness

Partnership: @firefighternationhq

Jeff Bryant’s fire service career began in 2007 when he joined his small town volunteer fire department as a third-generation firefighter. He served a couple of suburban fire departments until 2014 when he was hired by the Aurora (IL) Fire Department. He is currently assigned to Central Station Truck 2.

Bryant’s true passion lies in training and cultivating the next generation of firefighters. He’s an instructor for the Southern Kane County Training Association, past organizer of the Amboy Fire & Extrication School and Blackhawk Firefighters Association School, founder of the Midwest Area Fire Academy & FireNuggets Search School, collaborator of the West Coast Truck Conference, FireNuggets Webinar Series, Firemanship 2024, and more.

He started a FireNuggets affiliate for Illinois (Illinois FireNuggets) in 2018 and has brought many training opportunities to the IL area. He has assisted in the creation of multiple other state affiliations and selflessly contributed to their efforts to run their first few events. As of January 2024, Bryant has been selected by the board to serve as the President for FireNuggets, Inc. Bryant then joined Firefighter Rescue Survey in 2019 to assist with data dissemination through social media, training, and seminars. He was able to help secure a non-profit status and make FFRS a 501c3.

He proudly joined the Brothers in Battle cadre in October of 2022.

Behind Bryant is his very supportive wife, Ashley, and three pretty cool children - Everly, Emmy, and Brody.

@jeffbryant591

@brothersinbattlellc

@thefirenuggets

@firefighterrescuesurvey

@firemanshipconference

@midwestareafireacademy

Sponsorship: @southwest_fire_academy

Editing: @bradshea

Marketing: @m.pletz

Administration: @haileygreenfitness

Partnership: @firefighternationhq

Mitch is a 3rd generation firefighter from Ontario, Canada.He has been on the job for over a decade and has merged my passion for fitness and firefighting to found Everyday Heroes, a platform that allows first responders to realize their true potential and prioritize their physical and mental health.

He has felt firsthand how the job and life can pile up, and it’s his learned experience that he leverages to motivate others to make the shifts that have been so transformative for him

Helping the public in acute, high-stress situations is something he is proud of, but helping the helpers, coaching those on the front lines, is his passion.

@everydayheroes.fitness

Sponsorship: @southwest_fire_academy

Editing: @bradshea

Marketing: @m.pletz

Administration: @haileygreenfitness

Partnership: @firefighternationhq

Julie, LPC, PhD is a licensed professional counselor and professor of Clinical Mental Health Counseling at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. She specializes in treating trauma, substance use disorders, and resilience-building. She has a special interest in the mental health and well-being of first responders. She is a critical incident stress debriefing facilitator with the Chippewa Valley Emergency Support Service and has conducted numerous trainings on the impact of traumatic stress throughout the Midwest.

Sponsorship: @southwest_fire_academy

Editing: @bradshea

Marketing: @m.pletz

Administration: @haileygreenfitness

Partnership: @firefighternationhq

Jacob is a Lieutenant with the Cibolo Fire Department and has been proudly serving in the fire service for over 10 years. He’s passionate about leading with strong values, building deep relationships, and helping firefighters find purpose in their work. Jacob has been married for 7 years and is a proud dad of two kids. 

His family plays a huge role in shaping who he is—both at home and at the firehouse. He brings that same sense of connection and care into his leadership, believing that when you set clear expectations, build trust, and truly care about your team, great things happen. Based in the fast-growing I-35 corridor in Texas between San Antonio and Austin, Jacob is proud to serve a community that’s expanding quickly—and he’s just as committed to growing the people around him. At the heart of everything he does is one simple belief: firefighters are here to serve, and we do it best when we serve each other first.

Sponsorship: @southwest_fire_academy

Editing: @bradshea

Marketing: @m.pletz

Administration: @haileygreenfitness

Partnership: @firefighternationhq

THE GROWTH EXPERIENCE was born of a deep need among men for a deeper sense of connection, meaning and presence in an increasingly chaotic and lonely world.

​

Many of the social, tribal and cultural institutions that used to support men have lost relevance and meaning in the digital age, yet healthy spaces for men to connect are needed more than ever.

THE GROWTH EXPERIENCE empowers men and creates community through shared experiences that allow men to push beyond their boundaries and gain new skills and brotherhood to support their physical, mental, emotional and spiritual growth.

@thegrowthexperiencecollective

@thegrowthexperience_ryan

@thegrowthexperience_matt

@thegrowthexperience_nathan

Sponsorship: @southwest_fire_academy

Editing: @bradshea

Marketing: @m.pletz

Administration: @haileygreenfitness

Partnership: @firefighternationhq

Mid-roll Sponsor: @fhtribune

Marcos Orozco was born and raised in Texas and became passionate about fitness at the age of 12 when his Dad bought him his first gym membership.  He played sports throughout high school and ran track for ASU (400m and 4x400m relay) where he got a Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science/Kinesiology.  

Marcos has been a career fireman for 17 years and has been training and working out in gear for about 15 + of those years.  

His passion for fitness as it relates to performance on the fire ground is what he is passionate about and what he is best known for.  He has spent the past decade plus training “tactical athletes” and helping them become the best version of themselves, making them an asset rather than a liability.  

Marcos is the owner of Hardknox Sunday where he has programs designed to help firefighters improve their fitness as it relates to performance on the fire ground.  He is a big believer in “you are either an asset or a liability, there is no in between.”

Marcos is co-founder of The Crucible with John Spera and Logan Broberg.  The Crucible is a 24hr class where the participants will do 12 in full-gear workouts over that 24hr period where a standard must be met under the required time frame.  This class is meant to help build that mental fortitude and resiliency, and to share with the participants what has worked for us, the cadre.  We will be focusing on building the participants up and helping them work through those dark moments.  In addition, The cadre will be doing the workouts with the participants, and embracing the shared suffering.

 

Marcos is also co-owner of True Grit Training, where they provide realistic “live fire” trainings as well as RIT and Search and Rescue classes in the Denver metropolitan area.  

 

Marcos has been an instructor for over 11 years and travels all over the country teaching HOT classes and giving his lecture “Improving fire ground performance through fitness and mental fortitude” as well as being on several podcasts in the last couple of years.

@hardknoxsunday

Sponsorship: @southwest_fire_academy

Editing: @bradshea

Marketing: @m.pletz

Administration: @haileygreenfitness

Partnership: @firefighternationhq

Mid-roll Sponsor - @firehumorcompany

Some of his fire conferences include:  

 

Ft Lauderdale Fire Expo (Ft Lauderdale, FL)

Fire Shows West (Reno, NV)

FDIC (Indianapolis, IN)

The Castillo Way, (Houston, TX)

Mile High Fire Conference (Denver, CO)

Mid America Fools OKC Conference (OKC, OK).

 

Some of his podcasts include:

 

Behind The Shield Podcast

Tailboard Misfits Podcast

Fit to Fight Fire Podcast

Student of the Game Podcast

Undisclosed Agents Podcast

The Sheepdog Society Podcast

 

Some of his “HARD” accomplishes include completing the Dunes 100-mile Ultra Race (2019-FL), completing the Georgia Smoke Diver Program at age 45 (2022-GA), running Pikes Peak Ascent (13.3 miles up to 14,115ft of elevation) in bunker coat/pants (2023-CO), and completing OBT 6 (2024-FL).

Challenging himself and others is what Marcos is passionate about, and he enjoys showing others what is possible.

Marcos moved from South Florida to Colorado in January of 2023 and has been working for Brighton Fire District where he was in the Training Division for all of 2024 teaching at The North Area Fire Academy (NAFA 14 & 15), sharing his knowledge and passion.

Marcos believes you must do HARD things you do not want to do daily; you are only as good as what you are currently doing, and what are you currently doing to make people around you better.

 

“It is our responsibility to show them what is possible.”