INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FIRE CHIEFS

Chief Eric Felker has served as a firefighter/EMT since 1988.  He started his fire service career as a volunteer firefighter with Collingdale Fire Company #1 in Delaware County Pennsylvania.  He has served as a lieutenant, captain and assistant chief before being appointed fire chief in 1999.  After relocating to Chester County Pennsylvania in 2004, he became a volunteer member at West Grove Fire Company.  He is now serving in his sixth year as fire chief.  Over his 37-year career, he has served as a volunteer and career firefighter and has served for 18 years as a chief officer.  As fire chief at West Grove Fire Company, he is responsible for leading a 3-station combination all hazards fire and EMS department handling approximately 4,300 emergency calls annually. This is accomplished by a team comprised of 50 active volunteers and 60 career members.  Chief Felker is a Pennsylvania certified EMT and nationally certified Physician Assistant.  

As the former senior career federal fire official, Dr. Denis Onieal was responsible for the day-to-day operation of the United States Fire Administration (USFA) — the annual training of over 140,000 first responders at and through the National Fire Academy; the National Fire Incident Reporting System, which documents and analyzes 28 million fire department emergency responses a year; the USFA’s fire prevention, public information and public education programs; and the 26 campus buildings and the grounds of the historic National Emergency Training Center in Emmitsburg, Maryland. An honorably discharged Army veteran, he joined the Jersey City Fire Department and rose through the ranks from firefighter to deputy chief, and then to acting chief, leading a uniformed force of 650 firefighters and officers. He spent his entire time "in the street" as a line fire officer. He is a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the International Association of Fire Chiefs; and serves on the Executive Board for the International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA), the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the Wellspan Health System. He completed a Bachelor of Science from New Jersey City University, a Master of Public Administration from Fairleigh Dickinson University and a Doctorate in Education from New York University (NYU). He taught in the master and doctorate programs in education at NYU for five years. Beginning on Sept. 12, 2001, he led the USFA’s team at the World Trade Center, working behind the scenes to help the New York City Fire Department re-establish their systems of command, control and on-site communications. In 2005, he was sent to Atlanta, Georgia, to lead the in-processing, training and dispatch of 4,000 firefighters to assist in the response to Hurricane Katrina. He served in leadership roles in almost every national disaster. He is a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the International Association of Fire Chiefs; and serves on the Executive Board for the International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA), the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the Wellspan Health System. He has served on the IFSTA Executive Board since 2020.

Leigh Hubbard is the Executive Director at ISFSI.

Previously, Leigh was the President & Chief Executive Officer at Trade Up Consulting & Management and also held positions at Associated General Contractors of Virginia.

Leigh received a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree from Radford University.

Scott Seifert’s interest in the Spring Fire Department began in 1985, but he could not be a volunteer then because he lived outside the district boundaries. Then Scott was a Country & Western Nightclub Disc Jockey and Program Director, playing every kind of music even though Christian music is now his favorite. Fast forward a few years while working at a local nightclub, Scott finally achieved his dream of becoming a volunteer at Spring Fire Station 71 in Old Town Spring. Since he worked at night, his station officers asked him to help enhance daytime response times. Within weeks of beginning training, he was serving as an incident commander at a house fire. His successful efforts to save that structure fueled his desire to serve and keep training.

As a Chauffeur/Pump Operator, Scott honed his skills in Incident Command and Vehicle Extrication. After earning his Captain and District Chief badges in 1997 and 2002, Scott served as Assistant Fire Chief before becoming Fire Chief in 2015.

Whether at TEEX Municipal Fire School, Fire Rescue International or the IAFC VCOS Symposium, professional development continues to play a strong role in Scott’s life. He is a member of the Texas Fire Chiefs Association, International Association of Fire Chiefs, and the IAFC’s Volunteer and Combination Officers Section. He served on the VCOS Vision Project, tasked with preserving the Volunteer Fire Service, completed the IAFC Executive Chief Officer program in 2017 and in 2018 graduated from the TEEX Fire Service Chief Executive Officers program taught at the Mays Business School of Texas A&M University.  Scott received the Chief Fire Executive designation from the Texas Fire Chiefs Association in 2022 and is also the Chief Executive Officer of the Spring Volunteer Fire Association.

A graduate of Klein High School, Scott is the proud dad of three daughters, Ashlyn, Isabela and Alyssa, and husband of Diana. Scott enjoys studying leadership, business, professional and personal development, and emerging technology. Despite his many successful pursuits, Scott still doesn’t know what he wants to be when he grows up!

Robbi King serves as the Director of Public Safety Solutions Engineers at Vector Solutions, where he is focused on delivering tailored safety and operational solutions to public sector clients. With a robust background in public safety and extensive experience as a solutions engineer, he plays a pivotal role in aligning agency needs with scalable, effective solutions that improve outcomes and operational readiness.

Before his role in the tech and solutions space, Robbi dedicated his career to public service. He served as a Deputy Coroner at the Camden County Coroner’s Office and held leadership roles, including Assistant Chief of Fire at Camden County Fire Rescue and Captain at Kingsland County Fire Rescue. These roles have equipped him with firsthand knowledge of the needs and challenges faced by emergency service agencies.

Robbi holds a degree in Fire Science from Savannah Technical College, grounding his strategic leadership with a solid foundation in emergency response and fire safety operations.

Matt Shronts is a 25-year veteran of the fire service, having served in combination departments throughout Illinois over the course of his career. He currently serves as Deputy Fire Chief for the South Chicago Heights Fire Department in South Chicago Heights, Illinois. In addition to his fire service leadership role, Shronts is a Senior Solutions Engineer and subject matter expert at Vector Solutions, where he focuses on leveraging technology to drive innovation, modernization, and operational effectiveness in the modern fire service.

Throughout his career, Shronts has held a wide range of leadership and instructional positions, including Training Officer, curriculum developer, and EMS instructor, with a consistent emphasis on advancing training and operational readiness. He is credentialed as a Chief Fire Officer by the Center for Public Safety Excellence and is recognized for his commitment to integrating emerging technologies to support immersive, evolving improvements in fire service training and operations. Shronts holds a master’s degree in Public Safety Administration from Southern Illinois University–Carbondale.