The C.A.N. Report

The Man, The myth, The legend...Chief Dennis Reilly. Chief Reilly is no stranger to the fire service community. Dennis Reilly is a fifty-year fire service veteran, a retired Fire Chief and owner of The First Line Fire Service Training Company LLC. Dennis has served as the Chief in Pittsburg, Kansas and Sunrise Beach, Missouri, an Assistant in North Carolina & California and retired as a Battalion Chief in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. During his time in New Jersey, Dennis became one of the original members of the New Jersey Urban Search & Rescue Task Force 1and made several deployments including to New York City as part of the response to the Terrorist Attacks of 9/11.

Chief Reilly sits down to talk about Fire house Culture, Stress inoculation, fitness in the fire service, The importance of the "playbook", setting expectations etc...

Chief Reilly is a wealth of knowledge, has love for the job and is passionate about giving back to the fire service. Please join me as we talk about these important topics and jump down a few rabbit holes as well. Thank Chief for spending part of your day with us.

"Dan the Man" Nowill is a Captain with the Keene Fire Department. Dan has 27 years on the job and he doesn't hide the fact that he isn't perfect. Dan's trials and tribulations in life, has made him who he is today. We talk about his imperfections, struggles, life choices. We dive into tactics, crew integrity and doing the right thing for your crew. Dan is a proven leader, he cares for his crew, the job and leaving it better than he found it. Dan runs his own training company on the side Invictus Fire Solutions and truly enjoys helping area departments to become better. He has a take no crap attitude but speaks from the heart and speaks the truth. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. Nozzle Tov!

Nathan Pipps has been a firefighter for 8 years, 4 as a career firefighter for Port Arthur Fire Department. He is just one of the guys at the For Them Fire Conference. Training E-Board member for the Spindletop FOOLS. His passions are The SEARCH, Engine Work, and mastering the basics. It's our attention to the fine details in our skills that determines our level of competency and confidence in executing when it matters most. His mission for the For Them conference is to spread the "Victim First" tactics and information. This is through taking the Firefighter Rescue Survey data, and building the confidence and competency in our search and Engine skills, such as First due low man engine staffing, split search, searching in hoarder conditions, and extending the search. The classes are designed with intention to be 12 hour HOT days, this enables us to progressively implement accumulated fatigue and how we can overcome these obstacles when it matters most. We don't choose when a fire comes in, it could be the end of the shift and our second fire of the shift, it's imperative that we know how this effects our skill level and how it affects the rescue, and how we can overcome the challenges this presents. Nathan truly loves the fire service and the brotherhood as well. Nathan and his partners are truly doing something special and putting Beaumont, TX on the map.

Ian Schulte is hard charging, motivated and dedicated to the craft. Ian brings real truth and knowledge to the table. If you're on the fence about finishing school or trying a new adventure, Ian will get you pumped to jump into it and complete it. Ian has over 17 years of experience in the fire service.

Ian is a Tennessee Smoke Diver, Georgia Spartan and OBT5 graduate. Ian teaches with Roughneck Firemanship, LLC. He is part of The Uncommon Firemen E-Board. Runs The Traveling Fireman Facebook page. Teaches at the Oath Keepers Fire Conference in the Truck Cadre and is part of the CFT Green Team.

Ian and I talk about the struggles of leadership, training and the importance of continuing education. Ian is the Real Deal, super humble, deeply, philosophical and plays a mean Bass to boot! I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did.

Nozzle Tov!

Disclaimer: My mic apparently crapped out on me, as the reason for my audio being incredibly low.

Kyle is a wealth of information and incredibly passionate about education within the fire and EMS Community. Kyle is doing great things for our first responders in the Granite State. Join me as we discuss his role within the NH Fire Conference, training Officer challenges and the future of the fire and EMS service.

Dena Ali is a Battalion Chief with the Raleigh (NC) Fire Department, where she has worked her way up the ranks. She also serves as the program manager of Behavioral Health for the First Responder Center for Excellence. Ali holds a degree from North Carolina State University and an MPA from the University of North Carolina—Pembroke, where her research focused on firefighter suicide. She is an Executive Fire Officer Program graduate through the National Fire Academy.

Dena Ali has been on a steadfast mission to kill the stigma of mental health in first responders. Dena has dealt with personal struggles and has come out on top. Dena has been inspired to share her journey with mental health with her book "Hope out of Darkness".  The book debunks common mental health myths and highlights various resources for support and treatment, offering strategies to build resilience through social support, effective leadership, mindfulness, proper sleep, and holistic approaches such as play and gratitude.

Dena has a great sense of humor and has a real-world approach of putting her message into perspective. Dena has done her homework on mental health, and it shows that she cares about helping others. I hope you enjoy her no BS way of telling it how it is and her sense of humor that she brings to the conversation. Thank you for all that you do and that you continue to do to help others find light in the darkest of times.

Bryson Hue is 33 years of age originally from the Aloha State, of Honolulu Hawaii. He began his career with the Federal Fire Dept. Navy Region Hawaii in 2020.Bryson and his family relocated 2 years ago to El Paso Texas and then recently to White Sands New Mexico, about 30 mins away from Las Cruces. He currently works for the White Sands Missile Range Fire Department. He is married and have 4 kids, 2 boys and 2 girls. 

Bryson recently completed an intense training in Florida at One Bad Tour, which was created by Lieutenant Bassel Ibrahim of Proactive Rescue Operations. This training is not for the weak or timid. Bryson talks about how he had to mentally and physically prepare for this event.

It was truly a pleasure to talk with Bryson about his journey to fulfill his dream and the love that he has for the fire service and others.

Rick Bova, 33 years old from suburban Detroit. Currently a Firefighter/Paramedic with the Southfield Fire Department; been with them for the past 6 years. 9 years total structural firefighter experience; 7 full time, 2 volunteer. Basic Fire Academy and Advanced Fire Training instructor at local community college. Rick received BS in Fire Science at Lake Superior State University in 2013. Rick has been working in various fire service related jobs since 2013 in addition to a structural firefighter such as a wildland firefighter with the US Forest Service as well as a few years dealing with fire prevention and protection. Rick has been married to his wonderful wife, Renee, for 4 years. They welcomed their first child into the world just over a month ago, a beautiful baby girl. His hobbies center a lot around the study of the fire service, but others include traveling the world with his wife, and physical exercise combined with mental fitness. He has completed various races including 3 full marathons, the IRONMAN triathlon, as well as a 100 mile ultramarathon.

Rick also Co-presented a lecture at the 2024 Great Lakes HOT Fire Conference titled “THEM vs US”, highlighting the problems facing today’s fire service where we are starting to value our own safety/well-being well before those we have sworn to serve.

Rick Bova as a lot of pride and passion for the fire service. Rick overcame some serious medical issues to achieve his dream of being a firefighter. Once Rick obtained his dream job, there was no turning back for him. Rick has been full steam ahead spreading the good word, but not to forget that Family comes first! I truly hope you enjoy listening to how passionate and energetic Rick is when talking about his love for the fire service and of serving others.

Timary Malley is a FF/paramedic with the Derry Fire Dept. Timary was born and raised in Worcester, MA. Timary played sports throughout her entire life; you name it, there’s a high likelihood she played it. The two sports she ultimately focused on were hockey and softball.

Timary ended up playing hockey in college at Hamilton College, where She received her bachelor's in biology and then went on to Merrimack College to earn a master's in sport and exercise physiology. During that time, she began her journey into the fire service (and NH) and ended up getting a per diem position as a FF/EMT in New Boston, NH and then the same in Amherst, NH. She was then hired by the Derry Fire Department.

While with DFD, she received her AEMT and then went to earn her Paramedic license. Timary continues to work as a strength and conditioning coach on the side part time and currently lives in Merrimack with her boyfriend Josh and their puppy willow.

Tracy McCart spent 28 years in education, having taught elementary, middle and high school throughout her career. Tracy held multiple leadership roles in the school districts that she was employed, in addition to being the president of several educational organizations.

Tracy brings a wealth of talent to her position as Co-Founder and Managing Director of Fire Wife Life, and her vision for the organization has been a leading force in its forward motion and quick growth. Tracy is a graduate of Central Methodist University where she earned a Master of Education degree.

Tracy is a proud fire wife of 21 years. She is married to Kevin McCart, who was in the fire service for 21 years as both a lieutenant and captain. Currently Kevin is the South Central Regional Manager of Keyhose. Tracy and Kevin reside in the Kansas City area.

As a lead facilitator for Fire Wife Life, Tracy will present the message of community, togetherness, support, and inclusion. So many wives feel isolated from their spouse’s job family, and their “civilian” friends don’t understand their lifestyle or the unique challenges that they face.

In bringing the message of Fire Wife Life forward, she encourages women to feel comfortable in asking for help, speaking their needs to other wives, and not being afraid to be a part of the fire family community. Simultaneously, the message and navigation of the importance of seeing one’s own worth and having one’s own identity outside of “fire spouse” is imperative to having a successful marriage and healthy family dynamic.

Kathy Edwards is the CEO of Fire Life Training and Breaking Barriers and is the co-founder of Fire Wife Life. Kathy spent 30 years as a national non-profit Management Consultant, and concentrated her efforts on overall organizational management, income generation and board/staff modeling and training.

Throughout her career she has worked with numerous organizations, a few of which include; The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, The American Diabetes Association, Huntington’s Disease Society of America, United Cerebral Palsy, Lambda Legal, Global Health Action, the Georgia Firefighters Burn Foundation, Girls on the Run and the National Down Syndrome Congress.

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In February of 2020, Kathy joined Fire Life Training Associates and Breaking Barriers as Chief Executive Officer, with a goal of expanding the brands. In 2021 she co-founded Fire Wife Life and The Fire Family. Kathy serves on numerous non-profit boards and has served as the President of the Atlanta Fire Department Women’s Auxiliary, and on the Superintendent’s School Improvement Council for the largest school system in the state of Georgia.​

Kathy has been married to retired Atlanta fire Captain Todd Edwards for 35 years, and together they have raised 2 incredible adult children. When not working they spend their time together with family and friends, traveling, and watching The Ohio State University and the Pittsburgh Steelers play football!

As a lead facilitator for Fire Wife Life, Kathy presents the message of community, togetherness, support, and inclusion. So many wives feel isolated from their spouse’s job family, and their “civilian” friends don’t understand their lifestyle or the unique challenges that they face. In bringing the message of Fire Wife Life forward, she encourages women to feel comfortable in asking for help, speaking their needs to other wives, and not being afraid to be a part of the fire family community.

Simultaneously, the message and navigation of the importance of seeing one’s own worth and having one’s own identity outside of “fire spouse” is imperative to having a successful marriage and a healthy family dynamic.