2 9 t h A n n u a l F i r e D e p a r t m e n t I n f o r m a t i o n C o n f e r e n c e
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2026 REGISTRATION OPEN
CLASSROOM WORKSHoP
CLASSROOM WORKSHoP
“Training “1st Due” Volunteer Company Officers”
“Training “1st Due” Volunteer Company Officers”
Joe Nedder
Joe Nedder
Sunday Morning 08:00 - 9:30
Sunday Morning 10:00 - 11:30
Synopsis
Synopsis
This class focuses on 1st Due Volunteer Company Officers and the basic training that they need to have to be effective on the fire ground. Our Officers need this training in order to step up and do their job, and yet so many do not understand what their job really is and have not really been given the training to succeed. They are supposed to be the leadership and management of a department, and yet training programs today seem to think one size fits all, regardless of whether you are a Volunteer on a small department or a Career firefighter on a busy department.
People and organizations are afraid to offend us by saying we are different. In fact, they profess that all firefighters are the same and should have the same training. Well, note to self, we are different! You cannot compare the needs of an average VFD to those of a large urban department. This is fact and reality! One-size-fits-all training fails us! This class provides insight and a baseline for general knowledge that will help to bring awareness of what basic officer training must include. To assist in this, I will present what I call my 10 Foundation Stones of Knowledge. This class has made a difference to many volunteer officers that I have trained and worked with. It will cover what we need to know, why we need to know it, and how to gain knowledge. This class is intended to inspire those who attend to become the very best they can be! The volunteer fire service represents the vast majority of firefighters. It is time that classes are delivered that directly address their needs without them having to take what is offered and adapt it.
Bio
Bio
Joe Nedder is a passionate and inspirational instructor who joined the fire service on April 2,
1977 on a small rural volunteer department. In the early 90's he became an instructor for the Massachusetts Fire Academy where he developed and implemented a Firefighter I/II program for Volunteers and on call firefighters. He conducted 20 classes before stepping away. The program continues with over one hundred and twenty classes being graduated! Joe left the Academy in 2008 and put all his efforts into his training organization Cross St Associates. For over 20 years his focus has been primarily delivering training to volunteers and other smaller organizations. Joe believes that all firefighters regardless of the size of their department deserve the best training possible.
Joe retired from active on the line service in 2013. During his active career he was always a volunteer or on-call firefighter holding various ranks. He continues to develop innovative programs, actively teach and write. In 2019 Chief William Kessler of the Mendon (MA) fire Department pulled him out of retirement and brought him in as the Deputy Chief of Training for his Combination Department. Joe retired in 2025 from that position but continues with helping other fire departments as a Training and Management Consultant.
Nedder has taught at the FDIC every year since 2010 and has been invited to teach once again in 2026. He is also a returning Instructor at the Missouri University Fire and Rescue Training Institute (MUFRTI) Winter Fire School. He has authored numerous articles for Fire Engineering Magazine's Volunteer Corner. Joe has authored two books; Rapid Intervention Crews (Jones and Bartlett) and Managing Risk in the Volunteer Fire Department: Concepts, Methods, and Practices for Fire Engineering books.
Joe is the recipient of the 2022 George H. Post Fire Service Instructor of the Year Award by Fire Engineering and the International Society of Fire Service Instructors (ISFSI).
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