JEMS CON 2027

As Fire Chief of Oregon's Scappoose Fire District, Jeff Pricher has driven advancements in fire and emergency response over the past decade. Under his leadership, the district provides comprehensive fire, ambulance, wildland, and special operations services, ensuring community safety and preparedness. Jeff leads Scappoose Fire's comprehensive Special Operations program, building on over two decades of experience in specialized rescue and response. This program incorporates swiftwater and rope rescue, marine firefighting, REMS, and cutting-edge Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) technology. Beyond his role at Scappoose Fire, Jeff actively volunteers with the Hood River Crag Rats mountain rescue team and serves as Program Manager for the regional UAS program within the Regional Disaster Preparedness Organization (RDPO). He also chairs the RDPO Fire & EMS workgroup, coordinating 35 regional fire agencies. Jeff serves in key leadership positions within the drone sector. He serves as Vice President of the Cascade Chapter of AUVSI, Vice Chair of the IAFF/IAFC Robotics Workgroup, and holds a position on the board of advisors with Drone Responders. Additionally, he's a Governor-appointed member of the Oregon Department of Aviation board and a Law Enforcement Drone Association steering committee member. In 2020, he co-authored a textbook, Wildland Firefighter: Principles and Practice.

Abi Rolfson is a graduate student in the Master of Information Science 4+1 Program at Indiana University (IU) Bloomington’s Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering. Abi is the iSite Project Coordinator at the IU RedLab (formerly known as the IU Crisis Technologies Innovation Lab) and an Undergraduate Instructor at IU Bloomington’s Luddy School. She has experience with leveraging GIS and Virtual Reality technologies to enhance operational awareness and post-incident analysis.

Driven by a passion for performance psychology, Candice Brown is a doctoral student and University Provost Fellow in the Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology PhD program at West Virginia University. She earned her MA in Clinical and Mental Health Counseling from the same institution, and obtained her National Certified Counselor Certification in 2022. She successfully completed a distinguished 12-week internship as an United States Air Force Research Labratory Scholar. Her consulting approach is personable and collaborative, integrating a wide range of theories, skills, and interventions tailored to meet each client’s unique needs. She emphasizes enhancing psychological flexibility to boost both performance and well-being. She particularly enjoys focusing on how psychological factors influence the performance and well-being of first responders and tactical populations.

Bob Waddell, SAM Medical's Training Manager since 2017, has been in the emergency medical field for over 30 years. Some of his accomplishments include paramedic, grant and program manager, EMS speaker, author, and educator, founder of an international EMS education organization, and chairman and co-author of NAEMT Emergency Pediatric Care Program.

Josh Pearcy is currently serving as a Lieutenant, assigned to Heavy Rescue for the Oklahoma City Fire Department, Josh started his fire service career in 2001. As a nationally registered paramedic, he has worked for ambulance-based, fire-based, and flight-based EMS services. He has been a fire, EMS, dive and technical rescue instructor for several years. He serves on (OK-TF1) Oklahoma Task Force One Urban Search and Rescue team as a Search Team Manager/ Helicopter Rescue Specialist. Josh has been honored to speak across the country at various conferences and training events, including multiple years as an instructor at the Indianapolis-based Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC) hosted by Fire Engineering Magazine. He has also taught courses for multiple years at the Oklahoma State Fire School, New York State Technical Rescue Conference, Oklahoma Public Safety Expo, as well as Wichita HOT conference. He is passionate about training and working with fellow service members to gain and expand the knowledge and expertise to become a leader in the industry.

Mike Cox is Director of Fire & EMS Solutions at Esri where he advocates for fire and EMS agencies to leverage geospatial information and technology to achieve their response and recovery goals. As a member of the Public Safety Industry Marketing team, he works collaboratively with GIS professionals to promote the broad use of Esri’s ArcGIS platform within fire and EMS. Mike recently retired from the Henrico County, Virginia Fire Department after 27 years of service. He served as the Deputy Chief with responsibilities including operations, emergency management, planning, accreditation, budget, and human resources. He was also a member of the Central Virginia All Hazard Incident Management Team, was the technical rescue team leader, and served as a haz mat specialist on the Virginia Department of Emergency Management’s regional hazardous materials team.

A 22-year professional firefighter, Captain, and industry author, Kory Pearn is the Publisher / Editor-In-Chief & Founder of CRACKYL - Firefighter Lifestyle & Health Magazine. A passionate mental health advocate, he is committed to spreading awareness on what it takes for firefighters to not just survive—but thrive—in the demanding fire service profession. With expertise in print and digital media, brand storytelling, and business development, he helps shape impactful narratives while mentoring others in the industry. Above all, he is a dedicated father and husband, always striving to lead by example in both life and career.