Steve has over 23 years of fire service experience and is a Battalion Chief, with the Columbia Fire Department assigned to B4 in Lower Richland County. Steve is a proud veteran with 4 years of Fire and logistics service with the Untied States Navy and also worked with South Carolina Task Force 1 team (SCTF1) assisting with logistics, inventory, cache equipment management. Additionally, Steve is the print shop coordinator for the South Carolina Fire Academy (SCFA) and instructor specialties include Haz-Mat and Fire Brigade training.
Don Townley is a veteran of the US Army special operations community and is currently a Captain with Ft. Gordon Fire Department. Don has over 15 years of combined municipal and DoD experience. Don has extensive experience in Medical Response, Technical Rescue, and Hazardous Material Instruction.
JP is a retired captain after 36 years of fire service experience; 25 years as a volunteer at the Columbia Fire Department. He also retired as an Adjunct Instructor from SCFA after 26 years of service. JP currently works in the industrial sector assisting with onsite emergency response teams and safety department when needed. He is OSHA 30 certified and a credentialled NFPA 1403 Live Fire Evolution Instructor. During JP's tenure as a volunteer Fire Captain, JP was the only volunteer at CFD to get Blue Card Incident Command national certification. When not working or teaching, JP spends time with his wife and 3 grandsons.
Jonah Smith grew up in Richmond, VA where his exposure to the fire service began in the Church Hill area of the RVA with some of the best firefighters in the city. Jonah attended the University of South Carolina for both a Bachelors and Masters and started with the Columbia Fire Department in 2003. After a few years, Jonah pursued a career with the Charlotte, NC Fire Department where he began in 2005. He served as a Captain from 2010 to 2021 serving on Engine Companies on the City’s South side.
He is currently assigned as a Battalion Chief on B Shift. Jonah is a North Carolina OEMS Level I instructor and NCOSFM Qualified Fire Instructor and regularly instructs both recruits and incumbents in both fire and EMS topics.
Jonah is a 8 time FDIC instructor and has presented at numerous conferences to include: Firehouse Expo, Fire Rescue International, South Carolina Fire Rescue, Metro Atlanta Firefighters Conference and the South Atlantic Fire Rescue Expo. He is married with 2 children.
Tony is a retired Battalion Chief with over 35 years of Fire and Emergency Services experience teaching Municipal and Industrial Fire, Technical Rescue, Hazardous Materials and Emergency Medical.
Tony has an Associates Degree and credentials with IFSAC FFI, II, Officer I, Driver/Operator, Instructor I, Former EMT, EMT-I (22 years). Tony has spoken and taught at several SC, NC, GA, Fla and AL Fire/Rescue conferences over his expansive career, with 30 plus years as an instructor.
Tony has been married for 38 years, has 3 children and 2 grandsons.
Will has been in the fire service for 15 years, beginning his career in Indiana. He is a Captain with the Columbia Fire Department and holds extensive rescue technician certifications, including; Confined Space Rescue, High-Angle, Trench Rescue, Swiftwater Rescue, Hazmat Technician and patient extrication.