SPEAKERS OF THE REFLECTIONS AND FINAL CONCLUSIONS IFIW 2023
Who are the instructors who will present the most important conclusions and reflections of the upcoming INTERNATIONAL FIRE INSTRUCTOR’S WORKSHOP 2023 on the last two days of the event?
Keith Stakes
Keith Stakes is a member of UL’s Fire Safety Research Institute. As a Lead Research Engineer, he studies
the effectiveness of fire service tactics as well as advances in firefighter safety and fireground
operations. He has both a Bachelor of Science Degree as well as a Masters of Engineering Degree in Fire
Protection Engineering from the University of Maryland. Keith has over 16 years of fire service
experience as a firefighter with the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad in Maryland where he
currently holds the rank of Fire/Rescue Battalion Chief. Keith also continues to serve on the NFPA
Technical Committee for Fire Service Training and the Editorial Advisory Board for FireRescue1 and Fire
Chief.
Juan Carlos Campaña López
Juan Carlos Campaña López, Chief Subofficer of the Madrid Fire Department, joined as a Firefighter in 1990. He currently serves in operational roles as Sector Chief in the 8th Fire Station in Madrid, as well as handling management tasks related to logistics and equipment.
He has been a CFBT (Compartment Fire Behavior Training) Instructor since 2005, after receiving training in Sweden. Since then, he has conducted numerous courses throughout Spain, written articles for various national magazines, and delivered presentations at national and international professional forums. He has traveled worldwide to acquire the best knowledge, skills, techniques, and tactics regarding the development and control of structural fires. All of this is aimed at improving the operational effectiveness and safety of all Spanish Firefighters. He is also responsible for the fire department branch in the National Association of Firefighters – ASELF. Since 2008, he has been part of the international group of Fire Instructors of the IFIW (International Fire Instructors Workshop).
Biography, Dr. Stefan Svensson
Stefan Svensson, currently an instructor at the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency, started his career as a firefighter in the Swedish Air Force in 1986. In 1989 he earned a bachelor degree in fire safety engineering and in 2002 a Ph.D. at Lund University, Sweden. Also, he has been a firefighter/crew commander at the local fire brigade for fifteen years and appointed as the regional on-scene commander in case of large incidents, including nuclear accidents. Dr. Svensson is an associate professor at Lund University and since 1994 involved in experimental and theoretical investigations on firefighting tactics, including firefighting methods as well as problems of command and control. He is the author of several books, scientific articles and reports.
Karel Lambert
Karel has been a firefighter for 21 years. He is a major with the Brussels Fire Department where he is in charge of 1st platoon (250 firefighters) during his 24h shifts and also works as chief of the training department. He also works as a volunteer sergeant in the department that protects his home town.
Karel’s main interest is firefighting. He strongly believes that more science should be involved. He tries to improve the quality of firefighter training programs. Karel participated in training programs in the 15 countries all over the world to gather knowledge that could be spread in the firefighting community. He is a member of International Fire Instructor Workshop (IFIW) since 2010.
In 2014, he completed the International Master of Science in Fire Safety engineering for which he studied in Belgium, Sweden and the UK. Karel is a guest professor at Ghent University and carried out scientific research into the use of PPV fans and search & rescue.
Karel is a co-author of four books and 95 articles and papers about fire and firefighting.
Shan Raffel
Shan Raffel has served as a career firefighter in Brisbane Australia between 1983 and July 2021. His career took a serious change in 1994 after two of his colleagues were killed during firefighting operations in what was considered a “routine fire” in a small motorcycle dealership. In 1996, two other colleagues were seriously injured after being caught in an extreme fire event while conducting search and rescue operations in smoke laden section of a Backpackers Hostel.
These events, motivated him to develop an extensive report which led to an international study of international best practice in compartment fire behavior training (CFBT) in 1997. His research allowed him to study at the leading live fire training institutions in Sweden and the UK. The critical information gained, led to the development of the first nationally recognized training CFBT program in Australia in 1998. Subsequently he has assisted numerous fire services in the world in the development of their training facilities, instructors and teaching materials.
In 2009 he was awarded a “Churchill Fellowship” to research “Planning Preparation and Response to Emergencies in Tunnels” which led to intensive study over a period of 10 weeks in the USA (FDNY), Canada, Germany, Austria, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Switzerland. He used this knowledge to develop the construction and operational phase emergency response plans for the 3 largest road tunnels in Australia.
His extensive training experience spans 26 countries, and his International Compartment Fire Behaviour Instructors program gained international credentialing through the Institution of Fire Engineers recognition process in 2018. https://www.ife.org.uk/Training-Development-Directory/142643
Since leaving full time firefighting service, he has focused on Fire Engineering consultancy and the development of firefighting instructors through his international courses.
Abstract
- Conference Talk 35 – 45 min
Subject “Working in the Kill Zone”.
The most dangerous situation for firefighters is when they are working in a structure filled with smoke, and no flame showing. This presentation will discuss the limitations of gas cooling and highlight the need to progress quickly to the point where they can control the fire by placing water on the burning surfaces.
- Reading the Fire.
This takes at least 2 hours, but 4 is better. I run it like a classroom session.
Every fire sends out signals that can assist firefighters in determining the stage of fire development and, most importantly, the changes that are likely to occur. This skill is essential to ensuring that the correct firefighting strategies and tactics are employed. Being able to “read a fire” is the mark of a firefighter who is able to make decisions based on knowledge and skill—not guess work or luck.
Shan Raffel has been using and refining the BE SAHF method of reading the fire for nearly 25 years. This presentation will focus on developing the ability to recognise visual patterns that can assist in sizing up the likely fire progression which forms the foundation for safer and more effective firefighting.
John McDonough
John has been a professional firefighter for 36 years and is an Inspector with the Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW). He is currently an operational Duty Commander in
charge of 15 stations north of Sydney. From 2003 to 2017, he was Team Leader of the Fire Operational Training Team.He has travelled extensively in order to study modern firefighting trends and benchmark against these for world’s best practice in developing training programs. He has delivered fire training courses in Germany, Croatia, Belgium, Poland, France, Canada, Hong Kong and the US. In Europe alone he has trained over 500 fire behaviour instructors. He is a founding member of the International Fire Instructors Workshop (IFIW).
He was a lead instructor on the Canadian ‘F.I.R.E – Firefighting, Instruction, Research and Engineering’ project (2013 – 2018). He was also one of four international experts selected as a panel member for the UL ‘Study of the Impact of Fire Attack Utilizing Interior and Exterior Streams on Firefighter Safety and Occupant
Survival’ (Chicago 2014 – 2017).
He is a co-author of ‘3D Firefighting – Training, Tactics and Techniques’, which in published in the USA by FPP/IFSTA. In 2009 he was awarded Australia’s highest honour for Fire Officers, the Australian Fire Service Medal for his work in structural firefighting training.
James Mendoza
James Mendoza is a Captain in the San Jose Fire Department (California, U.S.A.). He holds a M.A. degree in Education from the Stanford Graduate School of Education and a B.S. in Microbiology and Immunology from the Stanford School of Medicine. He is an Instructor of Live Fire Instruction and Fire Control 3 (Structural Firefighting) instructor for California State Fire Training and served on the committee that wrote the curriculum for both courses.
He served on the U.L. Technical Panel for the Coordinated Fire Attack Study. A true “nerd” (before the term was popular) he traveled to Sweden, Australia, and the United Kingdom in a search for a better understanding of fire behavior and how to teach it. He is an avid reader of all things fire behavior and a strong believer in the use of small-scale models to help firefighters understand
fire science. He strives to teach in a simple, yet intellectually honest way, with humor and understanding of the human element in firefighting.
Hans Nieling
64 year. Retired Captain of the Sittard Fire Station, Region Zuid Limburg, The Netherlands. 35 years of service as Retained Firefighter.
Currently Senior Instructor at the Fire region Zuid Limburg Former worked as Engineer jet engine fuel systems, Collins Aerospace.
40 years Since Dec 31 2023 Retired and now full time Senior Instructor at CFBT-NL and co-owner of CFBT-NL
Former member of the Technical Panel ‘Interior fire attack’ at UL FSRI.
As a team we managed changing the Dutch Fire Service to be working safer and more efficient.
Art Perlini
For more than three decades, Dr. Arthur Perlini has been a Professor of Psychology at Algoma University in Ontario Canada.
He holds master’s and doctoral degrees from Carleton University (Canada). He has authored numerous scientific papers in the field of personality, social and
cognitive psychology, including the impact of psychological factors on behavioural performance. He works in the field of sport and performance
psychology, helping athletes and professionals manage factors that impede human performance with an eye to optimizing performance. For more than a
decade, he has been a contributor to IFIW on the impact of psychological factors on the performance of firefighters.
Kenneth Liu
Kenneth Liu is a firefighter and Senior Station Officer (Operational) at the Hong Kong Fire Services Department, where he has worked for over 20 years. He has played a significant role in training and educating firefighters, serving as an instructor in various firefighting training courses, including Compartment Fire Behaviour Training (CFBT).
In addition to his firefighting work, Kenneth also has a solid academic and professional background. He obtained a Diploma in Aircraft Maintenance Engineering from the British Columbia Institute of Technology in 2002 and a Foundation Degree in Fire Safety Engineering from the University of Central Lancashire in 2011.
Kenneth has received continuous training throughout his career, including an Instructional Techniques course and an Incident Safety Officer course, both related to his work in the fire department. He has also completed a CFBT Instructor course, enabling him to teach advanced firefighting techniques.
Kenneth has held several important positions in the fire department, including his current role as Senior Station Officer in the Firefighting Training Department. His firefighting experience and skills have been recognized by his peers and colleagues, and he has been a valuable contributor to the safety of the Hong Kong community.
You still have time to register for the upcoming INTERNATIONAL FIRE INSTRUCTOR’S WORKSHOP 2023, which we will hold in Seganosa!