CLASS SCHEDULE
Day 1: December 17, 2026
The Grab Factory
8 HOUR-CLASS
- Hot
“The Grab Factory” is a primary search driven class that will encompass all facets of truck work prior to and after making a search/grab. While primary search can produce many victims on a single search, having sharp and sound technique is a must! From pulling on scene, sizing up your building, finding or creating the best access, performing the search, then victim removal, just to name a few. This class will be a fast paced, skills worked into scenarios-type format. We believe in a need to be the best because at the end of the day no one else is coming, it’s up to us!
INSTRUCTORS
Tyler Whitfield
Fire Lieutenant with almost 12 years in the fire service. Currently work for Clearwater Fire Rescue and I am currently assigned to B shift. I am a member of the Pinellas County Technical Rescue Team, Fire Instructor for the department and our county TRT Program. I am passionate about every aspect of the fire service and especially training with like minded brothers/sisters.
Chris Jones
Lieutenant with St Petersburg Fire Rescue and currently assigned to Station 8 in south St Petersburg. I’m a second generation FF and a fire instructor with my department. Being an instructor is a passion of mine where I have found that I learn just as much, if not more from individuals I get the opportunity to teach.
8 HOUR-CLASS
Making Space Matter – Real World Extrication: 16 Hour-Class
Day 1: 8 HOUR-CLASS
- Hot
This tool time heavy class will cover tactical options, alternate techniques, and thought processes for minimum staffed or normal staffed companies based on patient focused extrication. Additionally, this course will cover vehicle anatomy and modern vehicle construction challenges.
INSTRUCTORS
Brian Hoogewind
Brian Hoogewind is a 17 year career firefighter with Sumter County Fire and EMS, currently assigned to Squad 22 serving as a Special Operations Lieutenant. Brian is a Rescue Specialist with multiple classes in vehicle extrication. He is currently in charge of vehicle extrication for the Special Operations Team and teaches frequently within his department and as an adjunct to neighboring departments. Brian has spent most of his career servicing the interstate 75 area and surrounding areas.
Day 1: 8 HOUR-CLASS
FIREGROUND ZERO – Do you want you saving you?
8 HOUR-CLASS
- Hot
Show up fueled, hydrated, and ready to throw down. This course is designed to test your grit, sharpen your instincts, and push you past your comfort zone. After a dynamic intro and confidence-building phase, you’ll dive into high-pressure scenarios that demand fast, tactical decision-making using the tools and mindset you carry every day. We train under stress because that’s when the real learning sticks. If you’re not prepared, you’re vulnerable—and we don’t train to be victims. Don’t be that Guy/Gal. Step up, bring your crew, and see what you’re made of.
INSTRUCTORS
Joseph Clark
Joe Clark is a 17 year veteran of the Fire Service and currently operates as a Driver Engineer at Hernando County Fire. He serves on the Special Operations Team, he is a lead instructor at PHSC, and holds the seat as the Treasurer of Adventure Coast FOOLS.
8 HOUR-CLASS
Beyond the Flames - Blind and Burning *LIVE FIRE*
8 HOUR-CLASS
- Hot
Beyond the Flames is an aggressive live-fire search program designed to challenge firefighters in one of the most difficult environments they may encounter: extreme heat, zero/near-zero visibility, limited air, and no thermal imaging camera. This is not a fire-attack evolution. Students will operate in four-person search teams divided into two two-firefighter search groups.
Locate as many victims and searchable objects as possible while maintaining crew integrity, air management, orientation, communication, and disciplined search practices.
INSTRUCTORS
Captain Olding
Captain Olding is also a Training Captain for Citrus County Fire Rescue and began his career in 2005. Captain Olding has spent most of his career on truck companies in Spring Hill and Pinellas County. Captain Olding was hired with CCFR at his current rank in May 2022.
Captain Ehnis
Captain Ehnis is a Training Captain with Citrus County Fire Rescue. Capt. Ehnis has been on the job since 2016 promoted to Company Officer in 2020. Then earned the promotion to Training Captain in November of 2024.
8 HOUR-CLASS
OPERATIONAL PERIOD ONE (Through the Night) – Managing the First 16 Hours of a Structural Collapse Incident
16 HOUR-CLASS – CONTINUOUS
- Hot
**Prerequisites – Collapse Ops required; Collapse Tech recommended
Presented by Topside Rescue Co., Operational Period One is a 16-hour immersive command and technical rescue experience that places students inside a continuously evolving structural collapse incident. Rather than rotating through isolated skill stations, participants become members of a rescue task force responsible for managing a full operational period from dispatch through sustained rescue operations.
The course begins with classroom instruction covering collapse incident management, strategic priorities, incident command, rescue tactics, reconnaissance, structural assessment, operational risk management, logistics, planning, communications, and resource deployment. Students will examine lessons learned from actual structural collapse incidents and discuss how successful operations balance tactical execution with strategic leadership.
The second half of the course transitions into an eight-hour overnight field exercise where the incident unfolds in real time.
The experience emphasizes decision-making over memorization, leadership over checklists, and incident management over individual rescue stations.
INSTRUCTORS
Lieutenant Jose Paredes
Tower 1 Technical Rescue & Search Specialist, Florida Task Force 8 Bringing 13 years of heavy technical rescue and special operations experience to the stage, Jose Paredes is currently a Lieutenant on Tower 1 Technical Rescue and a 7-year Search Specialist for Task Force 8. In addition to his frontline responsibilities, Jose serves as an Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) instructor at the Florida State Fire College. Jose is deeply passionate about transforming frontline reality into actionable, high-impact training. His instructional focus centers on dissecting high-stakes incidents, fostering a culture of continuous learning, and intentionally testing operational vulnerabilities before they are exposed on the job. In his Advanced Structural Collapse course, Jose moves past rigid textbook drills to immerse students in real-world, rapidly evolving scenarios. Attendees will leave his session with a sharper tactical mindset, enhanced dynamic decision-making skills, and the practical strategies required to lead crews through the chaos of a complex collapse environment.
John Amato
John Amato has 15 years of experience in the fire service with over the last 10 being at Gainesville Fire Rescue. He is currently assigned downtown as the chauffeur of Tower 1. Amato is a member of the department’s Technical Rescue Team as well as Florida Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Task Force 8. His USAR experience includes deployments to the Surfside Condominium collapse and Hurricane Ian. He is also an active instructor at the Florida State Fire College, where he teaches the FLUSAR series.
16 HOUR-CLASS
CONTINUOUS
Day 2: December 18, 2026
The Grab Factory
8 HOUR-CLASS
- Hot
“The Grab Factory” is a primary search driven class that will encompass all facets of truck work prior to and after making a search/grab. While primary search can produce many victims on a single search, having sharp and sound technique is a must! From pulling on scene, sizing up your building, finding or creating the best access, performing the search, then victim removal, just to name a few. This class will be a fast paced, skills worked into scenarios-type format. We believe in a need to be the best because at the end of the day no one else is coming, it’s up to us!
INSTRUCTORS
Tyler Whitfield
Fire Lieutenant with almost 12 years in the fire service. Currently work for Clearwater Fire Rescue and I am currently assigned to B shift. I am a member of the Pinellas County Technical Rescue Team, Fire Instructor for the department and our county TRT Program. I am passionate about every aspect of the fire service and especially training with like minded brothers/sisters.
Chris Jones
Lieutenant with St Petersburg Fire Rescue and currently assigned to Station 8 in south St Petersburg. I’m a second generation FF and a fire instructor with my department. Being an instructor is a passion of mine where I have found that I learn just as much, if not more from individuals I get the opportunity to teach.
8 HOUR-CLASS
Making Space Matter – Real World Extrication: 16 Hour-Class
Day 1: 8 HOUR-CLASS
- Hot
This tool time heavy class will cover tactical options, alternate techniques, and thought processes for minimum staffed or normal staffed companies based on patient focused extrication. Additionally, this course will cover vehicle anatomy and modern vehicle construction challenges.
INSTRUCTORS
Brian Hoogewind
Brian Hoogewind is a 17 year career firefighter with Sumter County Fire and EMS, currently assigned to Squad 22 serving as a Special Operations Lieutenant. Brian is a Rescue Specialist with multiple classes in vehicle extrication. He is currently in charge of vehicle extrication for the Special Operations Team and teaches frequently within his department and as an adjunct to neighboring departments. Brian has spent most of his career servicing the interstate 75 area and surrounding areas.
Day 1: 8 HOUR-CLASS
FIREGROUND ZERO – Do you want you saving you?
8 HOUR-CLASS
- Hot
Show up fueled, hydrated, and ready to throw down. This course is designed to test your grit, sharpen your instincts, and push you past your comfort zone. After a dynamic intro and confidence-building phase, you’ll dive into high-pressure scenarios that demand fast, tactical decision-making using the tools and mindset you carry every day. We train under stress because that’s when the real learning sticks. If you’re not prepared, you’re vulnerable—and we don’t train to be victims. Don’t be that Guy/Gal. Step up, bring your crew, and see what you’re made of.
INSTRUCTORS
Joseph Clark
Joe Clark is a 17 year veteran of the Fire Service and currently operates as a Driver Engineer at Hernando County Fire. He serves on the Special Operations Team, he is a lead instructor at PHSC, and holds the seat as the Treasurer of Adventure Coast FOOLS.
8 HOUR-CLASS
Beyond the Flames - Blind and Burning *LIVE FIRE*
8 HOUR-CLASS
- Hot
Beyond the Flames is an aggressive live-fire search program designed to challenge firefighters in one of the most difficult environments they may encounter: extreme heat, zero/near-zero visibility, limited air, and no thermal imaging camera. This is not a fire-attack evolution. Students will operate in four-person search teams divided into two two-firefighter search groups.
Locate as many victims and searchable objects as possible while maintaining crew integrity, air management, orientation, communication, and disciplined search practices.
INSTRUCTORS
Captain Olding
Captain Olding is also a Training Captain for Citrus County Fire Rescue and began his career in 2005. Captain Olding has spent most of his career on truck companies in Spring Hill and Pinellas County. Captain Olding was hired with CCFR at his current rank in May 2022.
Captain Ehnis
Captain Ehnis is a Training Captain with Citrus County Fire Rescue. Capt. Ehnis has been on the job since 2016 promoted to Company Officer in 2020. Then earned the promotion to Training Captain in November of 2024.