Roadway Operations for Firefighters and EMTs
Friday, 10am-12pm
Saturday, 1pm-3pm
Every day, fire/rescue, EMS, law enforcement, tow operators, and highway safety personnel are at risk while responding to incidents along the nation’s roadways. Learn what actions you can take to protect yourself and your personnel during these incidents. Traffic Incident Management (TIM) principles should be incorporated into every department’s training requirements and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). A look at current regulations, standards, equipment, training, and best practices will help keep your people safe on the roadways.
Presented By: David Lewis, President of Cumberland Valley Volunteer Firefighters Association
Landing Zone Class
Saturday, 10am-12pm
Penn State Hershey Life Lion Critical Care Transport is hosting a landing zone safety course for Fire, EMS, and First Responder agencies. Members of the flight team will cover safe landing zone set-up requirements, landing zone officer responsibilities, communication with the aircraft, helicopter safety, and more.
Presented By: Frank Ceresini
Missing Person: Fire Department Collaboration with SAR Teams
Friday, 10am-12pm
Middle Creek Search and Rescue is a non-profit team ready to help the community when someone is lost/missing. Should a department be searching for a lost person, knowledge and preplanning are essential.
Presented By: Susan Stauffer, President & Tony Heidreder, Chief of Middle Creek Search and Rescue (MIDSAR)
Recruitment & Retention—Do You Have the Big Picture?
Friday, 1pm-3pm
Saturday, 10am-12pm
This presentation will provide an overview of a state level recruitment and retention program initiatives and how it influences local level programs through collaboration, best practices, and tools of the trade for planning, establishing a new program or transforming to refresh an existing program.
Presented By: PA Office of the State Fire Commissioner
Digital Firewalls: Protecting the Department’s Online Presence
Friday, 1pm-3pm
One critical aspect of digital security is ensuring the department retains full access to accounts, even when a member leaves. Without proper ownership protocols, departments risk losing control of social media pages, website logins, domain ownership, and other essential digital assets. Implementing structured account management practices prevents disruptions and protects online presence.
Presented By: Megan Kalbach, Founder & CEO of K Marketing Co.
Drones in Emergency Services
Saturday, 1pm-3pm
Informative training will cover Drone Pilot certification and training, FAA issues on COWAs (Certificate of Waiver or Authorization), VLOS (Visual Line of Site operations), Drone flight safety and drone missions – Civil vs Public operation regulations.
Presented By: Thomas Uff, President of Keystone Aerial Cam Ltd.
I am the Owner and Chief Pilot Instructor of Keystone Aerial Cam Ltd. My website is aerialanddroneservices.com. I have been in business since organizing in 2002. My company has been continuously insured by the same aircraft insurance entity since our beginning. I have owned/flown piston and turbine helicopters and sUAS of many shapes, sizes, and capabilities. My company’s safety culture follows and exceeds current FAA standards and is accepted by our clients and insurance carriers.
I currently train and consult with drone owners and pilot candidates. No pilot or pilot trainee remains operational without first following all accepted FAA Part 107 rules of safety, knowledge, certification, and skills. I am thoroughly familiar with these regulations as verified by my appointment as an FAA Safety Team Representative, serving as a Drone Pro.
I have several hundred hours of combined logged flight time (helicopter and drone). This does not include the years I spent flying drones (2002 to 2017) before operational time was actually logged. My PIC flights include over 3,200 separate inspection, search, overwatch, photographic, and training flights. Over the past 22+ years I have, and currently perform, routine project flights, as well as complex searches, and overwatch missions both outdoors and indoors. I have served as an Assistant Professor of Drone Flight at a Community College, Municipal Police Sergeant, Fire Department Deputy Chief, Municipal Utility Manager, and in several professional instructor positions. I am currently an FAA certificated 14 CFR, Part 107 Drone Pilot, as well as a Part 61 helicopter pilot. I currently instruct and oversee drone operations and train drone pilots that fly for industry, and for local governments and their special teams. The instruction is direct, hands on, training for flights in and through confined spaces, long sight distances, close to and inside structures, as well as night operations. In addition, I maintain certification as a sUAS level 1 Thermographer through ITC (trainers for FLIR equipment) to perform thermographic inspections of roofing, solar panels, fascia, ground disturbances, searches, etc.
Thomas Uff, Owner, Keystone Aerial Cam Ltd., FAA Drone Pro Representative
