Johnny Brewington served three terms as President of the International Association of Black Professional Firefighters and has been with the City of Cleveland's Division of Fire for twenty-seven years. He is currently a battalion chief for the Cleveland Fire Department.

Johnny was certified as a Fire-Medic at the Cleveland Fire Training Academy and received his Hazardous Materials Certification from Cleveland State University. He graduated from the Dr. Carl Holmes Executive Development Institute in 2001 and has taken numerous Fire Technology and Management courses through Cuyahoga Community College and the National Fire Academy.

Johnny was awarded Cleveland Fire Department Officer of the Year in 2003. He was appointed national spokesperson for USFA Campaign to Reduce Fire Deaths Among African-American Babies and Toddlers in 2004 and he is a Fire Fighter Training Instructor for Cuyahoga Community College. Committed to our youth, Johnny serves on the Advisor Board for Fire Cadet Program of Shaw High School (East Cleveland, Ohio) and Advisor Board for Public Safety Program of Martin Luther King Municipal Career High School. He is also a member the Black Chief Officers Committee.

Mark Carr is the Fire Chief for New Britain, Connecticut and the city’s first and only minority officer in the department’s 190 year history.

Mark began his career as a firefighter in the London Fire Brigade in 1987, working his way up through the ranks to become London’s highest ranking black fire officer. As a Borough Commander, Mark’s operational responsibilities included London’s southern sector—a 200 square-mile area with approximately 3 million residents, served by 2,400 firefighters.

As a member of the London Fire Brigade’s operational planning and tactics group, his responsibilities included developing operational strategy which involved the coordination and planning for community safety and diversity initiatives. Mark led a national fire service team in England that developed a fire response and risk management methodology which has since become a statutory requirement for all UK fire departments.

Mark received an undergraduate degree in management and a master’s degree in business administration from Thames Valley University. He obtained tactical fire certifications from the University of Lancashire in England and all fire service qualifications from the International Fire Service College in the UK. Mark is a graduate and member of the Institution of Fire Engineers. In addition to completing Harvard University’s Senior Executives in State & Local Government Program, Mark is a graduate of the U.S. Executive Fire Officer Program, and a Chief Fire Officer designee. Mark is a member of NFPA and a member of IAFC’s Human Relations Committee.

I. David Daniels has served in over twenty different capacities as a firefighter, company officer and chief officer. He currently serves as Fire Chief for Woodinville Fire and Life Safety District, Washington.

David holds a Masters Degree in Human Resources Management, a Bachelor of Science Degree in Fire Services Administration, and completed the Harvard University Senior Executives in State and Local Government program. He also holds member status in the Institution of Fire Engineers and a Chief Fire Officer Designation from the Commission on Professional Credentialing.

David is a member of the Board of Directors of the International Association of Fire Chiefs representing the Safety, Health and Survival Section, and President of the King County Fire Chief’s Association. He is a member of the NFPA Technical Committee on Fire Service Occupational Safety and Health, the National Fire Service Near Miss Reporting System Task Force, and the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Fire Service Leadership and Management.

In his community, David is a member of the King County Vulnerable Populations Steering Committee and the Renton School District Health Sciences Advisory Committee. He is also a nationally sought after speaker and lecturer on a variety of subjects including occupational safety and health, incident management, organizational and cultural change.

Ronald Jon Siarnicki began his career as a firefighter with the Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department in 1978 and with 24 years of fire, rescue, and emergency medical services operational experience, he progressed through the ranks to chief of the department. In this position he served as the Chief Executive Officer responsible for the fire, rescue and emergency medical services of Prince George's County, Maryland. In July of 2001, Ron retired from the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department to take the position of Executive Director of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.  

Ron is a graduate of the Masters Program, School of Management and Technology, at the University of Maryland, University College, College Park, Maryland and has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Fire Science Management from UMUC. He is a certified Fire Officer IV, Fire Fighter Level III, and State Emergency Medical Technician. 

Adam Thiel
Fire Chief, City of Alexandria, VA

Adam Thiel has served with distinction in four states—Maryland, North Carolina, Arizona and Virginia—as a rescue SCUBA diver, structural/wildland fire fighter, technical rescuer, paramedic, hazardous materials team leader, company officer, incident commander and chief officer. He is currently the Fire Chief for the City of Alexandria, Virginia. 

Adam has directly participated in response/recovery efforts for several major disasters including the 9/11 tragedy, Hurricane Gustav, and Hurricane Isabel. 

In 2002, Adam was appointed by Governor Mark Warner to lead the Virginia Department of Fire Programs (VDFP) through a critical post-9/11 transition and state fiscal crisis. As VDFP’s Executive Director, Adam modernized systems, added capacity, and enhanced capabilities by engaging employees and stakeholders statewide in charting the agency’s course.

For the past decade, Adam has provided strategy, risk management, and leadership consulting/expertise to international organizations, non-profits, government agencies at all levels, educational institutions, and private firms. Adam has authored more than 20 publications; presented at more than 30 conferences in multiple states/countries; and teaches graduate-level courses at several colleges/universities. Adam currently serves as chair of the National Fire Protection Association Technical Committee on Emergency Services Organization Risk Management and is a member of the National Fire Academy Board of Visitors. 

Adam earned undergraduate degrees in history and fire science from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and University of Maryland University College. He holds a master’s degree in public administration from George Mason University and is finishing his doctoral degree in public administration at Arizona State University. In addition to completing the Virginia Executive Institute and Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government, Adam is a Certified Emergency Manager (CEM), designated Chief Fire Officer (CFO), and Member of the Institution of Fire Engineers (MIFireE). 

Larry has been actively involved in marketing, community organizing, organizational development, and change management for 30 years. He has worked with fire and emergency service departments throughout the US and Canada in the areas of selection and teamwork training. Larry helped Ergometrics and Applied Personnel Research, Inc. to launch and implement their 2005 IPMAAC award winning FireTEAM Video Selection Testing and Training Program. From that work, Larry became aware of the need to increase the qualified pool of people of color and female applicants and help departments to reinvent their marketing and recruitment efforts. That need inspired Larry to start FIRE 20/20.    

Prior to his work with the fire service, Larry founded and directed the non-profit International Youth Hall of Fame (IYHF) for twelve years. IYHF helped communities around the country to come together to acknowledge and celebrate the positive contributions of more than 5,000 everyday school-age youth. IYHF was awarded honors by the Points of Light Foundation, the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times. In 2002, IYHF was merged with the Points of Light Foundation.    

Larry is a well respected speaker and workshop presenter. He has presented at numerous regional, national and international conferences and meetings including International Association of Black Professional Firefighters, National League of Cities Annual Congress, IAFC Human Relations Committee Meeting, Search Institute’s International Healthy Communities-Healthy Youth Conferences, and the National Association of Radio Talk Show Hosts Conference.

Larry has a Masters Degree in Social Work from Washington University.

Executive Board Members >>