FDIC Conference Director Diane Rothschild recently spoke with Deputy Chief of Training Joe Nedder, Mendon (MA) Fire Department, who is the recipient of the 2022 Fire Engineering/ISFSI George D. Post Instructor of the Year Award, about the whole FDIC International “experience.”
Diane Rothschild: How long have you been teaching/attending FDIC International?
Joe Nedder: My first FDIC was 1996. I have attended every one since! I believe this was the first show that Fire Engineering assumed ownership of the event. I remember walking into the exhibit hall and it blew my mind! I was massive, and everyone was there. The first class I taught at FDIC was in 2010 and was entitled “Constructing Multipurpose Survival and RIT Training Props.” The classroom was 100% full with attendees! In fact, they closed the doors and posted a sign saying “Closed.” I never expected that. Instructor baptism by fire, or a sign that what I had to offer had relevance to the fire service. I have taught at every FDIC since then, with most of the follow-up classes focused on volunteer, on-call, and smaller organizations.
DR: How did you get into instructing in general?
JN: Well, I joined the volunteer fire service on April 2, 1977. From the beginning, I wanted to learn and progress to being a capable and educated firefighter. I began taking a lot of different classes, mostly hands on. In the late 1980s, I started out helping to teach within the organization. Eventually, I became the training officer. In the early 1990s, I was recruited by the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy to become an instructor. I took the required classes and passed the required certifications and started teaching. This went on for about 15 years until I left and started my own teaching organization, Cross St Associates.
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DR: What sets your experience at FDIC International apart from attending other conferences?
JN: My fire service mentor was Jack Peltier. He was a retired assistant chief from Marlboro, MA. Jack had been a part of FDIC for a very long time. Before Fire Engineering became the owner of the show, Jack was involved in many aspects of the show. In fact, he would tell me different stories about “the old days of FDIC.” One that I always remember was that they would put on demonstrations of different skills–showing how to teach it! At the time, it was all about hands on and learning. It was Jack who kept encouraging me to attend, and finally in 1996 I did! FDIC is huge! It brings together all the vendors and, more importantly, the best and the brightest firefighters from around the world. Early on, I was always researching equipment. Through different friends, I began to meet some great people who have influenced me. People like Dr. Harry Carter gave me a lot of guidance and insight; others include John Norman, John Salka, Dave Dodson, the late Alan Brunacini, and Steve Kerber. All these people under one education roof provided me the opportunities to better myself. It was the FDIC that gave me this opportunity, and I took it to heart, working hard to educate myself in knowledge and skills to be the best I could and then to share and pass along that knowledge.
DR: What was your reaction to being selected as Instructor of the Year?
JN: When Chief Bobby Halton called and told me, my first reaction was, “You are kidding!” It took a minute to begin to sink in. Even then I was astonished and frankly close to speechless! I knew my Chief Bill Kessler of the Mendon (MA) Fire Department had nominated me, but never in a million years did I think a small-town volunteer firefighter would ever get the award. I look at the list of past awardees, and I am honored and beyond words that my name will be added to this distinguished list. Everything I have always done training others has been to pass on the knowledge and skill, make sure that the smaller organizations got the training that they needed, and deliver it with passion and enthusiasm. I have always said that enthusiasm is contagious and I hoped that it was passed onto those I trained and that they would then share what they learned with the same passion.
DR: What do you think is the most pressing issue facing the fire service today and why?
JN: The fire service has greatly changed in the past 45 years. The overall challenge I think we have as an organization is to embrace the future. Accept that change is the only constant in life and continue to TRAIN and LEARN. We need to learn to blend our past knowledge with the current and future knowledge. We can learn so much from our past experiences and they should not be thrown out with the trash but rather used to better who we are and what we do.
On the volunteer side, there are many pressing issues. To begin with is recruiting and retaining. I think that people are less willing to give so much of their time today as in the past. Family life today is quite involved and leaves less time to give. It might be time to think of a more constant revolving door where it is not a lifetime commitment. The issues become more complex from here in that proper training is very time consuming. Training is the key to safety, skill, and knowledge. There is no compromise when it comes to proper training. With that in mind and accepting people have less time to give, we need to find ways that all training is concise, to the point, not a time waster, and meaningful. As educators, we need to be respectful of our members’ time commitment needs while at the same time delivering quality training.
Training is the foundation of everything we do. Training is an opportunity to further one’s knowledge and abilities. The alternative is ignorance.
DR: What is your “takeaway” from a week at FDIC International?
JN: Well, my takeaway has changed over the years. In the beginning when I first attended, I was seeking information on equipment, lots of it. FDIC afforded me the chance to visit the major players, to learn about what was out there, and it led to many friendships. Through the years, I have witnessed firsthand significant changes in our equipment. Examples would be SCBA, our gear, and the apparatus. So much has happened regarding our safety and survival, and attending FDIC put me on the front lines witnessing these positive changes while learning and understanding them. As time went on, I started to attend the classes. Once I started, I was hooked! I very well remember at the 2010 conference a guy named Steve Kerber, who had written an article for Fire Engineering about modern fire science, presented his class. I walked in about 20 minutes early and got one of the last seats. It was incredible, and here I was on the front lines learning something that would become a major innovation in the fire service! It was and still is this information and knowledge that are the best takeaways.
DR: Who are your FDIC International role models and why?
JN: From attending FDIC, I have met some incredible people–huge industry names like Harry Carter, John Norman, John Salka, Rick Lasky, Dave Dodson, and Bobby Halton. All were approachable and kind to this small-town boy! The common bond we have is a thirst for knowledge and a want to excel. When you attend their classes, you truly are motivated to learn! They care and it shows. Opportunities like this abound at FDIC. I have also met some incredible people on the vendor side–people like Jerry Herbst from Elkhart & Brass Tacks Hard Facts and Scott Gohl from Dragon Fire. They are very much on the forefront of what they do, and we have had many a conversation sharing and learning from each other. Besides these role models, I have met many, many firefighters from around the country that has led to some great conversations and sharing of knowledge. There is so much we all have in common and so much we can learn from each other.
DR: What advice do you have for first-time attendees?
JN: First, accept the fact you will never see everything. The conference and exhibits are immense. Everyone wants to be there for the social and fun aspects, and that is important, but don’t squander the knowledge opportunities. To begin with, attend the Opening Ceremony! Thousands of firefighters all in a large room! It is very moving, motivating, and uplifting. Don’t miss it. From the conference side, review in advance the classes offered; go to the Web site (www.fdic.com) and review what’s offered in the different time slots. You can actually set up a schedule on the site. Don’t be overly ambitious, but have a few backup classes. It will be hard to set this up because Murphy’s Law will prevail with two classes you really want both offered at the same time. If you are there with fellow firefighters, split up, attend different classes, and then share what you learned.
On the exhibit side, you will be overwhelmed when you walk in! Everyone is there! So, again, make a list of priorities and seek them out. If you are there for general knowledge, I would suggest pick a starting point and slowly go up and down the aisles. Jumping around will lead to missing something you will regret. Stop, ask the vendors questions, and seek information and knowledge. I always avoided standing in line for free giveaways vs. spending quality time seeking knowledge. That’s what you are there for, not free T-shirts. To really see all you can, get there early, plan to stay late, and take your time! You will be amazed at what you walk away with knowledgewise.
Thursday, April 28, 2022, 8:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.
Presentation of the Fire Engineering/ISFSI George D. Post Instructor of the Year Award
Sagamore 3-4-5, Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis
Deputy Chief of Training Joe Nedder, Mendon (MA) Fire Department
