CPC's eleven members represent a cross-section of the emergency services industry, including career, combination, and volunteer departments; emergency medical services; city and county management agencies; the Department of Defense; and the industry at large. They meet in person in the spring and during the International Association of Fire Chiefs' Fire Rescue International conference in the fall, with regular teleconferences in the intervening periods. The commission oversees the development of materials and training to support its mission and makes recommendations to the board of directors for policy and financial decisions.
Richard Mason, CFO
Representative: At Large
Coordinator, Training and Education
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
3 Suzanne Drive
Portsmouth, NH 03807
(603) 396-8604
rmason@firehero.org
In 1996, Richard Mason became the third director of the Division of Fire Standards and Training in the Department of Safety. He served in this position until his retirement in 2011. In February 2011, he became the Training and Education Coordinator for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF). In 2000 he was among one of the first to become designated as a Chief Fire Officer (CFO).
Mason completed the Executive Fire Officer Program at the National Fire Academy and is a member of the Institution of Fire Engineers. He is the immediate past president of the North American Fire Training Directors. He also is active in the New Hampshire Boy Scouts, served as president of the Safety & Health Council of Northern New England and is past president of the Portsmouth Sunrise Rotary Club.
Prior to his career at the state's fire academy, Mason served for more than 20 years in three New Hampshire city fire departments: as a shift captain with the City of Lebanon Fire Department; deputy fire chief for Nashua Fire Rescue; and operations and training chief for the City of Portsmouth Fire Department.
Mason has an associate's degree in fire protection from the New Hampshire Community Technical College and a bachelor's degree in public safety management from the University System of New Hampshire.
Richard Haase, CFO, CFPS, CEM
Representative: Volunteer Department
Fire Chief
ConocoPhillips Wood River Refinery
Health, Safety & Environmental Department
PO Box 76
Roxana, IL 62084
(618) 255-2624/FAX (618) 255-3848
rick.t.haase@conocophillips.com
Rick Haase is the Emergency Response / Security Team Leader and Fire Chief for the ConocoPhillips Wood River Refinery in Roxana, IL. He has worked at the refinery since 1985 years and has served as the fire chief since 1991. Chief Haase also served as the volunteer chief for the Staunton Fire Protection District, Staunton, IL since 1996 and has been a member of the department since 1983.
Chief Haase holds associate degrees in industrial electronics and fire science technology from Lewis and Clark Community College and a bachelor’s degree in advanced fire administration from Western Illinois University. Rick was awarded Chief Fire Officer (CFO) designation on February 22, 2003. He holds numerous state/national fire service, EMS, and safety certifications. Chief Haase is a field staff instructor with the University of Illinois Fire Service Institute and an instructor and member of the fire science advisory board of Lewis and Clark Community College.
Chief Haase serves as the chairman of the IAFC Industrial Fire and Safety Section, as a member of the NFPA Industrial Fire Protection Section board of directors, and chairman of the MABAS 35 / Madison County Fire Chiefs Association. He also participates in numerous other local, regional, state and national emergency response organizations.
Chief Haase was honored as the 2001 Illinois Volunteer Fire Chief of the Year and as the 2004 Fire Chief Magazine National Volunteer Fire Chief of Year.
Representative: Academia (Vacant)
Kurt Bressner, Commissioner
Representative: City/County Managers
City Manager
Boynton Beach, FL 33425
Kurt Bressner is the former city manager of Boynton Beach, Fla., a coastal community of 67,071 in Palm Beach County. He has been involved in fiscal planning, strategic planning, staff recruitment, labor relations, school boundary issues, and implementation of a stormwater capital improvement funding package. With his assistance, the city has established a fire service improvement program.
Bressner serves as immediate past president of the Palm Beach County City Managers Association, vice-chair of the Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue Level of Service Committee, and a member of the American Heart Walk Executive Committee. He is a member of the 2007-2008 class of Leadership Palm Beach and, while in Illinois, served as vice-chair of a Countywide E911 Consortium.
Bressner was appointed city manager in April 2000 after serving as village manager of Bensenville, Ill.; village manager of the Village of Downers Grove, Ill.; city manager of Wood Dale, Ill.; and assistant to the village manager of Naperville, Ill., where he started his career. He has team-taught graduate-level public administration courses at Northern Illinois University and teaches public administration courses at Barry University.
Bressner has a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Illinois and a master's degree in public administration from Northern Illinois University.
Gary Curmode, CFO, CMO, Commissioner
Representative: Career Department
Fire Chief
Sedgwick County Fire District #1
7750 N. Wild West Drive
Park City, KS 67147
(316) 660-3490/FAX (316) 660-3474
gcurmode@sedgwick.gov
Gary Curmode has served as fire chief of Sedgwick County Fire District #1 for the past 16 years, directing 145 paid personnel and a $15 million budget. He supervises fire prevention, the emergency medical service delivery system, fleet maintenance, fire suppression, and public education/fire investigation.
Curmode is a member of the National Fire Service Incident Management System Consortium; Firefighter Safety Study Act Committee, USFA; and the Web-Based Internet Hazmat Operations, USFA; as well as the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the Missouri Valley Division of Fire Chiefs, and the Kansas Association of Fire Chiefs. He also serves as president of the Kansas Professional Fire Chiefs.
Curmode completed his Chief Fire Officer designation in April 2001, served as a peer reviewer for the program in June 2001, and enrolled his department in CFAI to achieve departmental accreditation in the fall of 2000. The department received accredited status in August 2003 and was re-accredited in August 2008.
As a CFAI peer assessor, Curmode has assessed 20 departments for Accreditation—serving as team leader for 15 of them. In 2003, he was appointed to the CPC. He was awarded the prestigious Ray Picard Award in 2006 and received the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) designation in December 2009.
Curmode was part of the original committee that formed the Wichita-Sedgwick County Hazardous Materials Task Force in December 1981. He was a haz mat technician until his promotion to a senior position in the fire service. He also has provided training to private industry and fire departments in Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas in HAZWOPER, 29 CFR 1910.120.
Curmode's professional background includes more than 37 years of emergency response to incidents in hazardous materials and fire suppression. Recently, he taught Basic Concepts of Terrorism Response/Concepts to the Ft. Worth, Tex., Fire Department. He is also an adjunct professor at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Md.
Curmode has an associate's degree in fire science, a bachelor's degree in secondary education, and a dual master's degree in administration of justice and public administration. He completed the National Fire Academy's Executive Fire Officer program in 1991, and in 2006 attended the Senior Executives in Local and State Government program at the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government.
Steven A. Locke, CFO, MIFireE, Vice-Chair
Representative: Combination Department.jpg)
Fire Chief
Hartford Fire Department
812 VA Cutoff Road
White River Jct., VT 05001
slocke@hartford-vt.org
Steven Locke is the fire chief for the Town of Hartford, Vermont; a combination department with 21 fulltime and 10 paid on call personnel. He has been a member of this organization for the past nineteen years rising through the ranks and appointed Chief in 2008. The department provides fire, paramedic level transports, technical rescue and hazardous material response capabilities. The department received accreditation in 2004 and was re-accredited in 2009. It remains the only accredited department in New England.
Locke is a member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the Vermont Director of the New England Division of the IAFC and the President of the Vermont Career Fire Chiefs' Association.
Locke became a Chief Fire Officer (CFO) designee in 2009. Additionally he serves as a mentor and team leader for agencies seeking accreditation through CFAI.
Locke has an associate's degree in fire science, a bachelor's degree in fire administration and a master's degree in fire service leadership. He completed the National Fire Academy's Executive Fire Officer program in 2007.
Stephan D. Cox, CFO, CMO, Chair
Representative: Department of Defense
District Chief
Navy Region Mid-Atlantic Fire and Emergency Services
Sewells Point District
Naval Station Norfolk
1776 Gilbert Street, Building B-30
Norfolk, VA 23511-2944
(757) 322-2392/FAX (757) 445-9973
Stephan.cox@navy.mil
Steve Cox serves as the fire chief for Navy Region Mid Atlantic, responsible for 27 stations and approximately 700 personnel from Maine to North Carolina. He led the organization through the accreditation process and received accredited status in March 2009.
Cox received his Chief Fire Officer (CFO) designation in 2003 and in August 2009 became the first in the Department of Defense to achieve the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) designation. He holds numerous professional certifications in all areas of emergency services.
A 41-year veteran of the fire and emergency services, Cox joined Navy Region Mid Atlantic Fire and Emergency Services in 2005 as district chief and later operations chief. Previously he was manager of field operations at the Maryland Fire & Rescue Institute. He also served as the state fire representative at the Maryland Emergency Operations Center.
Cox has served on numerous task forces and committees and has been a Commissioner for the Maryland Fire and Rescue Education Training Commission.
Cox has an associate's degree in law enforcement, a bachelor's degree in behavioral science from National Louis University, and a master's degree in management from National Louis University.
Reginald D. Freeman, MS, CFO, MIFireE, Commissioner
Representative: Diversity.jpg)
Assistant Fire Chief, Support Services
Deputy Director of Emergency Management
Hartford Fire Department
275 Pearl Street
Hartford, CT 06103
860-757-4502
freer002@hartford.com
Reginald Freeman presently serves as the Assistant Fire Chief, Support Services and Deputy Director of Emergency Management for the Hartford Fire Department. Prior to joining Hartford, Chief Freeman was the Fire Chief for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics in Marietta, GA. Chief Freeman also worked for WSI Fire & Emergency Services – Iraq as a civilian Fire Chief for 4 years. His last assignment was at their headquarters on Camp Victory in Baghdad as the Chief of Compliance, Safety, & Planning. With more than 700 firefighters and nearly 25,000 calls per year, Chief Freeman served in a position of authority with an international fire department. He has worked in a number of capacities in his fire service career such as Firefighter, Emergency Medical Technician, Fire Captain, Fire Service Instructor, Assistant Fire Chief, and Fire Chief.
Chief Freeman holds a Bachelor's degree in Leadership, a Master's degree in Executive Fire Service Leadership and is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Homeland Security. Chief Freeman has also attended Harvard University's Senior Executives for State & Local Government program at the Kennedy School of Government. He received his CFO designation in May 2008 and is a member grade with the Institution of Fire Engineers.
Chief Freeman currently holds memberships to several professional public safety associations. Furthermore, Chief Freeman is a member of the Technical Committee for NFPA 1021 (Fire Officer Professional Qualifications), Chief Freeman also serves on the website committee for the Safety, Health, & Survival section of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and is Vice-Chair of the Industrial Fire & Safety Section of the IAFC.
Norris Croom, III, CMO, Commissioner
Representative: Emergency Medical Services
Deputy Chief
Castle Rock Fire & Rescue Department
300 Perry Street
Castle Rock, CO 80104
(303) 660-1066
ncroom@crgov.com
Deputy Chief Croom has served the last 9 years as Chief of Operations for the Castle Rock (CO) Fire and Rescue Department. He has been with the Department for twenty-four years as both a volunteer and career firefighter, and also has experience working for private ambulance companies as an EMT, Paramedic, and a Communications Technician.
Croom holds an Associate's Degree in Fire Science Technology from Red Rocks Community College, has attended numerous courses at the National Fire Academy, and is a 2011 graduate of the Executive Fire Officer Program. He is currently certified as a Fire Officer III, Fire Instructor I, Paramedic, Hazardous Materials Technician, Terrorism Liaison Officer (TLO), and as a Type 4 Incident Commander for wildland fire.
In late 2007, he was selected to participate in the beta test of the Center for Public Safety Excellence Chief Medical Officer Designation, and was one of fourteen to receive the initial designation of Chief Medical Officer (CM0) in May 2008.
Additionally, Croom serves as the Director at Large on the Interational Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) EMS Section Executive Board, President for the Douglas County Emergency Telephone Service Authority (E911), and has been appointed by the Douglas County Board of County Commissioners to serve on the Douglas County Incident Management Team Selection Committee. He also serves as the Fire Service Liaison for the Colorado Information Analysis Center, which is the state fusion center. He holds memberships with multiple professional associations, including the IAFC-Missouri Valley Division, Colorado State Fire Chiefs Association, Colorado Emergency Management Association, International Associaiton of Emergency Managers and Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials.
Alan W. Perdue, Commissioner
Representative: Fire Prevention
Guilford County Emergency Services
1002 Meadowood Street
Greensboro, NC 27409
(336) 641-7565/FAX (336) 641-6538
alan.perdue@guildford-es.com
Alan W. Perdue is the Director of Emergency Services for Guilford County, NC. Perdue also serves on the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) Board of Directors as the International Director for the Fire & Life Safety Section. Perdue began his fire service journey as a volunteer firefighter in 1977 and was employed by Guilford County Emergency Services in 1979. He progressed through the ranks and was appointed Director in July 2003. Director Perdue holds an Associate's Degree in Fire Protection Technology, a Bachelor's Degree in Management and Ethics and is also a 2004 graduate of the National Fire Academy's Executive Fire Officer Program. Perdue currently serves as the Governor's fire service appointee to the NC State Building Code Council and as a member of the Technical Advisory Council for the CPSE/IAS Fire Prevention & Life Safety Department Accreditation process. He has served extensively in the code development processes and is currently a member of the ICC Joint Fire Service Code Review Committee.
James M. Broman, CFO, MIFireE
Commissioner
Representative: At Large
Fire Chief, Retired
Lacey, WA
Jim Broman retired as the fire chief of Lacey Fire District # 3, in June 2011. Lacey serves 75,000 citizens over 70 square miles in northeastern Thurston County, Wash., and employs 95 career members along with 58 volunteers.
In addition to his membership on the Governor's Fire Protection Policy Board for the State of Washington, Broman is a member of the Institution of Fire Engineers, the immediate past president of the Washington State Association of Fire Chiefs, and chair of the Professional Development Committee for the International Association of Fire Chiefs.
Broman's fire service career spans more than 40 years, including 29 years as a Chief Fire Officer. Prior to joining the Lacey Fire District in 1989, he served as the fire chief for the City of Englewood, Colo., and the City of Wheaton, Ill. He began his career as a firefighter with Meridian Township Fire Department in Haslett, Mich.
Broman has a master's degree in public administration.