The Staff
Ricky Riley is currently the Division Chief of Operations for the Clearwater Fire & Rescue. Chief Riley previously served as the Chief of the Kentland Volunteer Fire Department in Prince George’s County, MD from 1999 to 2005.
He began his fire service career in Ocean City, MD in 1979 and moved to the Washington, D.C. area in 1983 to become a career firefighter in Fairfax County, VA. He served most of his career with that department at the Bailey’s Crossroads Station, consistently one of the busiest stations in that department, before his retirement in 2005.
Nicholas Martin
Firefighter, District of Columbia Fire Department
Nick began his fire service career in 1994 as a volunteer in his hometown located in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Since then he has served as a career/volunteer firefighter in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. He holds a bachelors degree in fire science from the University of Maryland and a masters degree in management from the Public Safety Executive Leadership program at the Johns Hopkins University.
Nick is a firefighter with the District of Columbia Fire Department, assigned to Engine Company 11 in the Columbia Heights section of Washington, DC and is also a firefighter with the Kentland Volunteer Fire Department. He is the recipient of a Medal of Valor from Firehouse Magazine, as well as a Silver Medal for Valor by the Prince George’ County Fire Department. Nick is also an author for Fire Engineering magazine & Firehouse.com.
nmartin@traditionstraining.com
Dan Shaw is a Captain with the Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department assigned to Engine 410 in the Bailey’s Crossroads area. Dan has been in the fire service for 17 years serving in various ranks. Dan started his Fire Service career as a volunteer in Howard County, MD before being hired by the Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department in 1995. During his tenure in Fairfax he has been the Apparatus Technician of the busiest Engine in Fairfax, a Lieutenant assigned to a Tower Ladder, and the Command Aide to the Deputy Fire Chief of Operations.
Dan has an Associates Degree in Fire Service Supervision, a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration, and is a graduate of the West Point Leadership Program. He has been published in Fire Engineering on the subject of RIT and Firefighter Safety and Survival and has taught at FDIC Indy and FDIC East.
Doug is a Lieutenant in the New York City Fire Department. With his Dad (a retired lieutenant) and brother on the job, the fire service is indeed “family.” He started his 17-year career in 1992 in a career/volunteer system in Howard County, Maryland. He was a fireman, paramedic and haz-mat specialist with the Fairfax County, Virginia Fire & Rescue from 1995 to 1999, last assigned to Rescue 401. In January of 1999, he left Fairfax for the FDNY. Doug was a Fireman in Manhattan, a Fire Marshal in Queens, and is currently a covering Lieutenant.
He holds a bachelors degree in emergency health services from the University of Maryland Baltimore County, and is currently attending John Jay College, pursuing a master’s degree in Protection Management.
dmitchell@traditionstraining.com
Dan was raised in the fire service by his Grandfather as a volunteer in Monroeville, PA, a suburb of Pittsburgh. His career began in 1994 working for the Swissvale Fire Department as a Firefighter/Driver.
In early 1999, he was hired by the Fairfax County VA Fire & Rescue Department. During his Seven years in Fairfax he worked at Engine and Truck 410 in Baileys Crossroads, the County’s busiest firehouse.
In 2006, Dan started with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire and now works in the Third District, Engine and Truck 8 in the East Liberty section of the city. Dan believes in a very realistic and innovative “Street Smart” approach both on the job and in the classroom.
Chris Birch
Firefighter, District of Columbia Fire & EMS Department
Chris’s fire service career started in Harford County, Maryland with the Norrisville Volunteer Fire Department in 1993.
He is currently employed by the District of Columbia Fire Department where he served with both engine and truck companies before moving to his present assignment at Rescue Squad 1 in downtown Washington.
In addition, Chris is a member and former captain with the Burtonsville Volunteer Fire Department in Montgomery County, MD.
Scott Kraut
Captain, Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department
Scott Kraut is a Captain with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department and has been in the fire service for 13 years. Scott is currently assigned to the Training Academy and is in charge of training the 1200 career and volunteer field personnel.
Prior to his current position at the training academy Scott held various ranks within the department, most recently as Lieutenant assigned to the busiest Ladder Truck in the county.
Joe Brown
Technician, District of Columbia Fire Department
Joe is currently a Tillerman (Technician) at Truck Company 17 in the District of Columbia, one of the City’s busiest Truck Companies. He is also the Tower Ladder Captain at Kentland Volunteer Fire Department in Prince Georges County, Maryland and holds a Bachelors Degree in Resource Management from Shepherd University.
Joe began his fire service career at age 17 in Montgomery County, Md as a volunteer were he gained valuable experience in the rural, manpower challenged aspects of the fire service. His experiences in DC and Kentland have led to a driving passion for a productive, results driven fire service. Joe feels very strongly about learning and teaching the basic firefighting skills that, more often than not, dictate the overall positive outcome on the fire ground.
Tony Kelleher
Chief, Kentland Volunteer Fire Department
Tony “T2″ Kelleher has been a fireman for 14 years. He is currently the Chief of the Kentland Volunteer Fire Department in Prince George’s County, Md and a technician (driver) with the DCFD assigned to Engine Co. 4. Previously he served as a Career Firefighter, Technician and Lieutenant in Virginia with Loudoun County Fire-Rescue. With this diverse array of field experiences, he brings knowledge to students from all aspects of operations; ranging from volunteer to career and urban to rural.
From youth, his ambition was to become a fireman. In his desire to learn, he has spent most of his life gathering knowledge and experience from many great firemen. Some of his biggest lessons learned are: the street smart approach, outside the box thinking, and upholding the pride and valuable traditions within our unique culture.
tkelleher@traditionstraining.com
Dan Troxell
Captain, District of Columbia Fire Department
Daniel M. Troxell, a 32 year veteran of the fire service, is the captain of Truck Company 6 in the Washington, D.C. Fire Department. He began his fire service career as a volunteer firefighter with both the Ft. Washington and Edge Hill Fire Companies in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. He served as a volunteer and career firefighter in Prince Georges County, Maryland, starting as a volunteer with the College Park VFD. A Pro Board Certified Level III instructor, he serves as an adjunct instructor with the DCFD Training Academy, and has developed and instructed courses for in-service company training as well as for probationary firefighter training.
He has written several articles for Fire Engineering Magazine, as well as articles for Fire Nuggets.com and Firehouse.com He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Fire Protection Engineering and a Master of Science degree in Applied Management, both from the University of Maryland at College Park
Dave Brooks
Captain (retired), Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department
Dave began his fire service career as a volunteer firefighter with the Springfield VFD in Fairfax County, Va. He entered the USMC in 1976 and completed his basic training at Parris Island. Upon graduation, he attended Crash Fire and Rescue school at Chanute Air Force Base. Dave was hired by the Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department in September 1980 and retired in July 2007.
His work assignments included: Firefighter assigned to Baileys Crossroads Fire Station 10 and Penn Daw Fire Station 11, Driver/Operator of Truck 11, Truck 10, and Rescue 19, Lieutenant assigned to Truck 29, Truck 11, and Rescue 11, Captain assigned to Engine 37 and Engine 10, Captain: Field Training Section at the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Academy, Director: Fire Programs at the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Academy.
In addition to teaching with Traditions Training, Dave is a private contractor with the US Forest Service working in Colorado.
dbrooks@traditionstraining.com
Upcoming Classes
- Sat 9/18/2010: Officer Development School (OPEN)
- Sat 10/9/2010: Engine Company Operations