Speakers

Julien Marion is Director General of Civil Security and Crisis Management at the French Ministry of the Interior.

Julien Marion, 48, is a graduate of Sciences Po Paris, holds a certificate in international studies, a Franco-German diploma in political and social sciences, and is a former student of ENA (class of 2003, René-Cassin).

He began his career in 2003 as Director of the Cabinet of the Prefect of the Poitou-Charentes region.  From 2004 to 2007, he was Deputy Director of the Private Office of the Secretary General of the Ministry of the Interior and Town and Country Planning.

From 2007 to 2011, he was Chief of Staff and Head of the political and diplomatic support unit in the Office of the Minister for Health, Youth and Sport, Roselyne Bachelot, before becoming her Special Advisor at the Ministry of Solidarity and Social Cohesion.

After serving as Secretary General of a Prefecture, from 2015 to 2017 he was Head of Department, Deputy to the Director General of Civile Security and Crisis Management at the Ministry of the Interior, while at the same time serving as Director of the Fire Service at the Ministry of the Interior's Directorate General of Civil Security and Crisis Management.

From 2017 to 2021, he was appointed Director of the General Police at the Paris Police Headquarters.  From 2021 to 2022, he was Prefect Delegate for Immigration to the Prefect of Police.  In July 2022 he was appointed Director of the Private Office of the Secretary of State to the Minister of the Interior and Overseas Territories, responsible for citizenship, and Deputy Director of the Private Office of the Minister of the Interior and Overseas Territories, Gérald Darmanin.

In July 2023 he was appointed Director General of Civil Security and Crisis Management.

With his in-depth knowledge of civil protection and the issues at stake within the Ministry of the Interior, he is responsible for all national civil protection resources.  As such, he coordinates all the operational and administrative resources of the French civil protection system:

Fire Brigade, military civil protection units, mine clearance centres, the Central Opérationnel de Gestion Interministériel des Crises (interministerial crisis mangaement operations centre), the department responsible for monitoring natural disasters, logistical support facilities, and, of course, all air resources, including helicopter bases and the fleet of French water bomber aircraft.

Experience & Responsibilities - 26 years in Civil Defense works.

Civil Defence Training School (2002-2008); Director of Student Affairs Department of Prince Hussein Bin Abdullah II Academy for Civil Protection (2008-2015); Deputy Director of Aqaba Civil Defense Directorate (2015-2017); Commander of Central Civil Defense Training Center (2017-2018); Director of Central Rescue & Support Directorate (2018-2019); Director of the East Amman Civil Defense Directorate (2019-2020); Director of the West Amman Civil Defense Directorate (2020-2021); Director of Balqa Civil Defense Directorate (2021-2023); Director of the East Irbid Civil Defense Directorate (2023-2024); Directorate of Karak Civil Defence Directorate (2024 to date)

Master Degree in Adminstration & Security Strategies from Royal Police Academy

Bachelor Degree in General Administration & Military Sciences from Mu'tah University/Military Wing.

Laurent Alfonso has been a professional firefighter for 28 years.  On an operational level he has commanded and participated in large-scale interventions such as floods and forest fires.  He has developed skills in crisis management and coordination in evaluation and training missions in South America, Europe and the Mediterranean basin.

Within the UCPM, he is certified as Team Leader, and has been deployed twice to South America: in 2017 as a forest fire expert in Chile, and 2019 in Bolivia.

Coordinator of PPRD South III programme, senior expert on civil protection at the Union for the Mediterranean and, he was member of peer reviews (Tunisia, Algeria), more recently to the peer review in Romania (2002), Moldova (2023), and Advisory Mission on Wildfires in Czech Republic (2024).  He is a member of the committee of the UCPM Wildfire Peer Review Assessment Framework.

French representative on EU working parties, DG ECHO-Disaster Prevention Expert Group, lecturer at Masters in emergency management and damage at University of Malaga (Spain) and Institute for Engineers and Applied Science (Ecole des Mines, Alès, France).

He participates in many seminars at the European and international level as a speaker on crisis management (EU Civil Protecton Forum, Nicosia Risk Forum, Annual DRMKC seminar, OBA [American Firefighters Organization]), writes technical or prospect articles (Crisis Response Journal, LIREC, EURACTIV, IEMED).

Forestry Engineer in 2014, ranked 1st of his class.  After finishing his degree, he started to do research in the Polytechnic University in Madrid, focusing on Hidrology and was awarded with a fellowship in the department of cattle management of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment.

In 2016 he became a civil servant of the State, working since then in the Forest Firefighting Service.  He is in charge of the management of the State aerial assets, which consist of more than 60 aircraft, having taken part in several national and international working groups, which includes the acquisition process of the new DHC-515.

Hugo Arceo is Sales Manager for Air Tractor Europe, working in the European and North African markets.  With more than 10 years' of experience in the firefighting aviation sector, he has extensive experience in international trade, multicultural negotiation development and marketing strategy.  Among his merits, Hugo has realized the sale of more than 100 firefighting aircraft and has created firefighting units in different countries around the world.

As President & COO of United Aeronautical Corporation ("UAC"), Bradford Beck has advanced UAC into an integrated aerospace solutions company, focused on Aerospace, Defense, and Aerial Firefighting.  Headquartered in the California, UAC has operations in North Hollywood and Sacramento, California; Tucson, Arizona; Bogota, Colombia; Sao Paulo, Brasil; and Sale, Australia.

In his current executive position, Mr. Beck oversees day-to-day operations of United Aeronautical Corp. and its MAFFS firefighting programs.  Some of Mr. Beck's notable achievements during his tenure at UAC include negotiating to become the sole S2 Tracker licensee for Northrop Grumman, organizing the acquisition of Marsh Aviation (IP for various firefighting conversions, including the S2T Tracker), orchestrating the acquisition of Aero Union, and integrating the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems (MAFFS) onto multiple aircraft platforms.

Mr. Beck has worked side by side with the world's largest Aircraft OEM's to engineer new MAFFS products into multirole systems, used by operators around the world.  He has consulted for numerous Foreign Governments to implement successful Aerial Firefighting Programs, and has led dozens of pilot and maintenance training campaigns for international agencies and governments abroad.  He has been a tireless champion of the modular approach to aerial firefighting which allows operators to scale their aerial resources quickly and efficiently to counter the ever-growing threat presented by wildfires.

Mr. Beck is a lifelong resident of Pacific Palisades, California, and a distinguished graduate of Loyola School and the University of Southern California.  An avid philanthropist, Brad has held numerous volunteer positions, and is Chairman of the Los Angeles Mayor's Aerospace Advisory Task Force.

Michael Benson joined Conair after a 30-year career in wildfire, most recently leading the wildfire operations research program at FPInnovations, a non-for-profit research and development organization based in Canada.  Prior to FPInnovations, Michael led the airtanker program for British Columbia Wildfire Service, responding to wildfires spread over nearly 1 million sq kilometers with both amphibious water bombers and retardant airtankers.  Michael's hands-on experience in aerial firefighting, combined with his research in methods to protect forests and communities from wildfires, offers global agencies a wealth of support as they address the complex challenge of responding to escalating wildfire behaviour in the face of climate change.

Stephan Brust, 50 years old, Bavarian State Ministry of the Interior for Sports & Integration - Fire Academy.

Deputy Chief of Bavarian State Fire Academy Würzburg.

Head of air operations staff for the Free State of Bavaria.

37 years in operational service with the fire department, including 16 years Professional Fire Department.

Experience in managing air operations inside and outside of Free State of Bavaria.

Matthew is an emergency services professional, having joined the Queensland Fire Department (QFD) as a volunteer firefighter at the age of 16.  Matthew's interest in firefighting and supporting the community led him to becoming a professional firefighter in 2005 when he commenced with Queensland Fire and Rescue in South East Queensland.  Matthew spent several years as a firefighter and Station Officer responding to structural fires and bushfires, hazardous materials and rescue incidents across Queensland.

Matthew has had a diverse career with the QFD having undertaken roles both statewide and regional operations, state training, human resources, the Commissioner's and Minister's office.

Matthew is a qualified Incident Controller and has undertaken deployments across Queensland and Australia to lead and support large scale fires and severe weather events.  In February 2022, Matthew as the Commander of Regional Operations for QFD during the significant flooding event that impacted on South East Queensland and interstate communities.

In 2024, Matthew was promoted to Assistant Commissioner, State Operations QFD with oversight over various specialist capabilities including Aviation, Incident Management and Operational Communications for QFD.  Matthew also undertakes the role of State Fire Controller for QFD and is responsible for the State Fire Control Centre's preparation, planning and response to large scale fires and disasters in Queensland.

In addition to various operational qualifications, Matthew is currently undertaking an Executive Masters in Public Administration and has previously completed a Master in Business Administration (MBA) and a Graduate Certificate in Business (Public Sector Management).

Pierre Carlotti is an experienced pilot and entrepreneur with a rich background in military and civilian aviation.  He began his career as a fighter pilot in the French Air Force, where he developed expertise in aerial operations and decision-making under pressure.

In 2020, Pierre founded Aria Firefighting, a company dedicated to innovating solutions for aerial firefighting and emergency response.  Aria operates two key branches: one focused on rapid initial attack using water bombers, and another specializing in advanced situational awareness through the integration of airborne data collection and fire propagation modeling, using manned aircraft.  The company's mission is to enhance firefighting operations and improve crisis management to protect lives and ecosystems.

Pierre continues to lead Aria with a focus on efficiency, innovation, and collaboration, sharing his expertise to inspire progress in the field of aerial firefighting.

Olivier Chalvet is Senior New Business Manager for Airbus Defence and Space.  In his role, he holds the responsibility for Business Development of the Division.  From 2024 he is in charge of developing the Airbus Group portfolio with solutions to fight wildfires.

Prior to assuming his position, he joined Airbus Group in 2011 as Director of Sales & Marketing for Cassidian in India.  He was later responsible for Customer Affairs and Business Development of Airbus Defence and Space in Korea and in South East Asia.

Olivier Chalvet started his professional career in 1998 when he joined TNO in the Netherlands in the R&D department, focusing on development and testing of high tech materials for aerospace.

In 2001, he joined Thales in France as Sales Manager for the Aerospace Division in Asia, before becoming responsible for the entry into service of NH90 helicopters for Thales Group.  In 2009, he was seconded to India to develop the services activities of the Group in the country.

Olivier Chalvet was born in 1974 in Nîmes, France,  He holds a Post-Master Degree from the ENS Arts et Metiers, France, in aerospace and graduated from the ENS Ceramique Industrielle (France) in 1997.

Lieutenant-Colonel in the military civil protection Corps, Fabrice is in charge of forest fires for the French Civil Proteciton and Crisis Management Directorate. 

After a brief career in the infantry, he has been serving in the civil protection corps for over twenty years. 

He has all the qualifications required for the firefighting profession (site manager, use of ground and aerial retardants, aerial investigation).  After an initial career as a specialist in helicopter operations, particularly forest fires (2002-2008), Fabrice was head of the southern zone operations center for 2 terms (2008-2010 & 2015-2019) and head of operations at the civil security military unit headquarters (2012-2015). 

He has been involved in forest fires since 2003 and has contributed to the development, management and feedback of all forest fire campaigns in the Mediterranean region.

Since 2019 he has been in charge of forest fires for the whole country and assist the COGIC in its international commitments in this speciality.  He has been involved in training or operational missions in Greece, Croatia, Jordan and Mexico.

An accomplished helicopter pilot and trainer, Dominik Chemnitz brings over 21 years of diverse aviation experience in military, utility, and HEMS operations, with a strong background in VFR, IFR, and NVG flight in single- and multi-engine helicopters.  Known for a proven track record of operational excellence and adaptability across cultural and business environments.

Currently holding the position of Manager for Operational Marketing at Airbus Helicopters, Dominik Chemnitz specializes in light helicopter programs, firefighting, aerial work, and HEMS operations.  Previous roles include extensive utility experience in Canada, where he conducted aerial firefighting, external load oeprations, remote winter missions, and MEDEVAC flights across British Columbia and Alberta.  He also has significant HEMS/HAA experience from operational roles with GMR's REACH Air Medical Services, including being CalFire-carded, and with Air Evac Lifeteam.

With over 30 years experience in presenting and teaching a wide range of topics, Dominik Chemnitz has developed training programs and led large-scale coaching initiatives.  He holds a Dipl.-Ing (FH) in Mechanical Engineering from the University of the German Federal Armed Forces, a degree recognized for its rigorous technical foundation and practical, industry-focused approach.

Holding FAA, EASA, and Transport Canada licenses, he combines technical expertise with a passion for innovation in aviation and training.

Bruno Darboux is Vice-President for Aerospace Ecosystem Development, in Airbus Corporate Affairs.  As such he takes all necessary actions to assure that the European and Global Aerospace Ecosystem engage proactively and collectively in the development of new sustainable technologies and a decarbonzed Aviation.

He exercises several formal roles for the Aerospace Industry at National and International levels.

Specifically, his President of the "Aerospace Valley" Competitiveness Cluster, a non-profit organization that gathers all industrial, academic and institutional actors engaged in the Development through Innovation of the Aerospace Sector in the South West of France.

Bruno Darboux has always been passionate about Aviation.

In his past career, he was involved in numerous developments of civil and military aircraft platforms, in Engineering and Program Management roles.

He initiated and led to the market key innovations towards increased Safety, Operational Efficiency and Sustainability of Air Operations.

In his successive assignments for Thales, ATR and Airbus, he managed large international teams, established collaborations with European academic and institutional partners, embarked suppliers selected on the market worldwide, and served a variety of customers, Commercial Airlines and Air Forces.

Bruno Darboux holds an Engineering Degree from ISAE "Sup'Aero", the French Aerospace Engineering Institute.

Luc began his career in forest protection as a development engineer at the SOPFEU regional base in Val-d'Or where he was promoted to head of land operations in 2000. 

In 2010, he moved to a position of management at the head office in Quebec.

Since 2018, he has been director of the Provincial Control Center.  As such, he is involved in several strategic issues at the provincial, national and international levels.

Luc Dugas first worked in the forestry industry for around ten years in Abitibi, the Hautes-Laurentides and the north of Lac-Saint-Jean.  

He trained as a forest engineer at Laval University and has since been a member of the Order of Forest Engineers of Quebec.

An award winning journalist in the aviation media and pilot, Gideon is the Editor of RotorHub International as well as a regular on air contributor to radio and television news, he is the host of The RotorHub International Podcast.

Eric Flores has been a firefighter for more than 37 years; he started holding the fire hose and became an expert officer in crisis management.  He specialised in floods in the Paris Region before returning to his first skills, namely forest fire management.  After having worked within the Ministry of the Interior at the General Directorate of Civil Protection, he has been, and still is, responsible for the fire department for 14 years in the south of the France Region, which is particularly subject to forest fires.  He set up an organisation based on analysis, rapid identification of fires, positioning of resources on the ground, and inter-service work.  In terms of fighting, he led more than a hundred forest fires, implemented tools to anticipate the evolution of forest fires and participated in the training of officers in new techniques, management of aircraft, relations with local authorities and protection of populations.  He currently heads the Fire Department in the Montpellier Region, which is subject to more than 1,300 forest fires each year.  He successively extinguished 95% of forest fires over an area of less than 10 ha.  At the same time, since 2007, he has participated in the Union Civil Protection Mechanism by following all training up to the highest level and participated as Team Leader in a mission in Moldova.  More recently he has been responsible for a French and European counter-reinforcement detachment during the forest fires in Canada.

As the former Wildfire Chief and Commissioner of Public Lands for Washington state, Franz led a 2400 member agency responsible for the state's wildfire response and management of six million acres of public lands - from acquatic lands to forestlands, agricultural lands, industrial, commercial and residential development.

Over the last eight years, Franz led the transformation of Washington state's wildfire response, so that in the last four years, even with increasing fires and geography to fight these fires, 95% of fires have been kept to 10 acres or less.  Her reactive and proactive efforts have helped protect communities and environment from the impacts of a rapidly changing climate, dying forests, drought, and extreme wildfires.

Franz has also prioritized supporting local communities, both urban and rural.  The land she managed sustainably generate hundreds of millions of dollars for schools and public services, like public safety, housing, human services and hospitals.  And she has allocated millions of dollars to spark economic opportunities in struggling rural communities.  She knows that our working lands - and the communities that depend on them for family-wage jobs - are integral to our success.

In her eight years as Wildfire Chief for Washington State, she successfully:

- Drafted and secured a historic $500 million investment from the state Legislature to prevent and fight wildfires, accelerate forest restoration, and build community resilience.  This bipartisan legislation - supported by a wide-ranging coalition of firefighters, fire chiefs, tribes, environmentalists, and public health advocates - passed unanimously.

- Launched new investments in AI technology for wildfire prevention and prediction.

- Changed the state's wildfire response through initial attack, expediting request and deployment of aviation resources, and growing aviation resources from to 44 through exclusive use contracts.

- Developed a 20-year Forest Health Strategic Plan to restore wildfie resilience to 1.25 million acres of forests.  In just 7 years already 940,000 acres have been restored, so that the state will achieve its 20-year plan in half the time, making forests healthier and more resistant to wildfires - at a scale and pace that is unprecedented.

- Developed the agency's first-ever Plan for Climate Resilience, which lays out a course of action to combat the threat of climate change.  Commissioner Franz worked with a coalition of science, policy, and business leaders to recommend and implement climate resilience in Washington state.

- Developed a nationally recognized Wildfire Ready Neighbors program, helping thousands of homeowners and communities with home hardening and defensible space to save homes and lives.

- Introduced a sweeping proposal to "Keep Washington Evergreen" by protecting 1 million acres of forest from deforestation and reforesting 1 million acres of forest by 2040. 

Under Commissioner Franz's leadership, DNR has built a rebust clean-energy program to help combat the climate crisis and create clean energy jobs.  For the first tie in Washington state history, the agency has leased state trust lands for solar power projects.  Franz has also expanded DNR's wind power program, with wind turbines on state trust lands that can generate 200 megawatts of power, which raise millions to build public schools and universities.

Franz is a third-generation rancher and small forest landowner, with a background in real estate, environmental and land use law.  She holds a bachelor's degree from Smith College and a juris doctor from Northeastern University Law School.

Doctor Frederique Giroud is the director of CEREN, the testing and experimentation Center of ENTENTE Valabre.

She holds a PhD in Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer.  She collaborates with scientists, fire fighters and crisis managers to conduct various projects at the national and European level.  Her main areas of research related to forest fires are fluid mechanic, fire spread modelling, chemical additives, wildland-urban interface management and fire instrumentation.  Furthermore, she is in charge of establishing contacts between French scientists and European stakeholders in fire fighting domain.  In the frame of the H2020 and FP7 Security call, she participated to the organization of various field tests in the context of crisis management with the participation of international experts and observers.  The objectives of those field tests are mainly devoted to the Proof of Concept of supporting tools for a better crisis management.

Since 2018, she manages the referenced laboratory for the French Standardization of the firefighter equipment.

Moreover since 2021, CEREN is the approved inspection laboratory of the French Civil Protection in the chemical additives area.

Johann Georg Goldammer is Director of the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) and professor for landscape fire ecology and management at Freiburg University, Germany.  The GFMC provides a global portal for landscape fire documentation, information and monitoring.  The GFMC cooperates with the UN Officer for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) through the Science and Technology Partnership, and - mandated by the former Interagency Task Force of the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) - as coordinator of the Global Wildland Fire Network and the Wildland Fire Advisory Group.  As Secretariat of the International Wildfire Preparedness Mechanism (IWPM) the GFMC coordinates a Voluntary Commitment for the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030.  The IWPM offers support to countries, directly or through assistance of international organizations, in the development, application, adoption or acculturation of natural fire management policies and strategies and cross-boundary cooperation in fire management.

In Europe the GMFC is service as a Specialised Euro-Mediterranean Centre under the European and Mediterranean Major Hazards Agreement.  The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has tasked the GFMC to implement of the Wildfire Disaster Risk Reduction agenda, based on a Ministerial Council Decision of 57 Participating States of 2014.  For the response to wildfire emergencies in the GFMC provides an emergency hotline and liaison capabilities to provide rapid assessment, decision support and follow-up under a cooperation agreement with UNOCHA's Emergency Services Branch.

The GFMC is acting as Secretariat of the International Fire Aviation Working Group (IFAWG) and has accompanied the Aerial Firefighting Conferences since the launching event in Greece in 2008.

Edward (Eddie) Goldberg is the Vice Chairman for Perimeter Solutions.  He has more than 20 years' of executive leadership in fire safety products and operations.  Before joining Perimeter Solutions, Eddie was Business Director for ICL Performance Additives and Solutions, where he held general management responsibility for the company's global fire safety segment.  Eddie is credited with building ICL's global fire safety business, focusing on products for wildland fire management and municipal and industrial fire suppression.  Eddie holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from Cornell University.

John Green is the Ziomas co-owner and founder.  He has worked in the airborne imaging business for 20+ years as a product engineer and business developer, mostly for Argon ST (formerly Daedalus Enterprises).  Green has been involved in the development and operation of a number of instruments in use throughout the world including the MODIS Airborne Simulator (MAS) operated by NASA Ames Research Center, the MIVIS hyperspectral sensor operated by CNR in Italy, the Large Area Fast Spectrometer operated by the U.S. Marines, and the Airborne Multispectral Scanner operated by the U.S. DoD.

Andrei Grishanov holds degree in Environmental Science and studied Computing and Information Systems including Convolutional Artificial Neural Networks (ANN).  Andrei has more than 20 years' experience in GIS, remote sensing and spatial data project development and management with extensive experience in building enterprise GIS systems and platforms (Digital Innovation Hub (app.smartagro.lv), EO-BALP Platform (app.geohub.net).

Andrei has developed well performing Cloud Computing Platform (ForestRadar) for satellite, aerial, drone imagery, sensor data and other spatial data processing which is now used as a core component to provide commercial EO data services and support scientific institutes with flexible cloud computing environment.

Currently, Andrei leads the technical development of ForestRadar, a proprietary technology utilized by forest, utility, environment industries for vegetation monitoring and analysis.  This system integrated optical and radar satellite imagery to provide insights into forest risks, including clear-cuts, windfalls, excess water, beaver dams, bark beetle damage, floods, and fires.

With a strong background in system analysis, process automation, and technical project management, Andrei has contributed to various R&D projects, including INTERREG, ESA, ERDF, Eurostars-2, and Horizon 2020.  His innovative approach has consistently driven development of advanced solutions in forest monitoring, enabling more accurate risk detection and analysis, as well as make more accessible and friendly Earth observation data and technologies for a wide range of interested stakeholders.

François Gros is Chief of Interministerial Staff for the South-West defence and security zone.  He assist the prefect of the defense and security zone in crisis planning, preparation and management, notably through the zone oeprational center, which coordinates resources and synthesizes information when a crisis exceeds the department's response capabilities.

François Gros has also be commissioned to carry out tests to establish the technicial standard for Civil Security drones.

Brett has worked in the emergency management sector for 29 years, with a main focus on developing and enhancing operational capability.  Throughout his career, he has developed Aviation Rescue Crew and RPAS operation capability, along with ground-based capability including rescue, remote operations, marine operations and advanced structural firefighting.  Brett is a qualified Remote Pilot, Air Attack Supervisor, Air Observer, Aviation Rescue Crew Officer.

Soraya Imperial is a Senior Officer with the Portuguese Agency for Integrated Rural Fire Management (AGIF, IP), currently placed in Algarve's Regional Coordination.  She holds a BSc in Forensic and Criminal Sciences from Egas Moniz Higher Education School and an MSc in Biorganic Chemistry from NOVA School of Science and Technology.

Focusing mostly on a multidisciplinary approach to integrated fire management, she works closely with the regional stakeholders on the governance and planning processes associated with the National Plan for Integrated Rural Fire Management, as well as joining several thematic national groups that require holistic and data-driven approaches in fire management, such as tourism, gender equality, extensive herding, public education and community.

Since 2022, she has headed and worked on several workgroups related to aerial firefighting fleets, such as the strategic analysis of the aviation capacity for the Integrated Management System of Rural Fires in Portugal from 2025 onwards, the operational analysis of the use of air resources in firefighting and the planning and roadmap for the introduction and adaptation of LATs (C-130H) in Portugal.

Claire Kowalewski is colonel in the French fire services.  She has signed her first contract as volunteer 30 years ago before becoming professional with a strong scientific studies background.  She has been working in civil protection at local, regional, national and international levels.  She had to deal with various types of emergencies such as forest fires, floods, terrorist attack, crash of airliner aircraft, rescue at sea, etc.  She is now seconded to the European Commission at Directorate General ECHO (European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations) where she brings her expertise and experience.  As she has been dealing for many years with forest firefighting in Southern France, she is naturally involved in the preparation of the forest fires season at EU level, developing common Standard Operating Procedures, working on the development of an European aerial forest firefighting fleet called rescEU or preparing innovative projects to increase the EU level of preparedness.  She has also been deployed many times as expert on forest fires emergencies (Australia, Bulgaria, Italy, Sweden, Greece, Canada, etc) within the EU civil protection mechanism on behalf of French Authorities or as European Emergency Response Coordination Centre liaison officer.

Professor V. Lappas graduated with a B. Eng in Aerospace Engineering at Ryerson University (Toronto, Canada), his MSc in Space Technology at NASA (Goddard Space Flight Centre) through the International Space University (France) and his PhD in Space Vehicle Control at the University of Surrey (UK).  He has led various signifciant research grants on satellite technology, space missions, space debris, funded by the United States Air Force, NASA, Airbus, European Space Agency, European Commission.  He has managed substantial research grants including the EU funded QB50, RemoveDEBRIS space missions and the European Defence Agency EuroSWARM project which is one of Europe's first Defence R&D pilot projects.  He is currently Professor of Aerospace Systems and Department Head at the Department of Aerospace Science & Technology of the University of Athens (Greece) and a Consulting Professor in Aerospace Systems at Cranfield University (UK).  His current research includes development of unmanned vehicles for defence applications, satellite/space systems, launch vehicle design, small satellites funded by the EU, United States Air Force and European Space Agency.  He also teaches Flight Controls, Dynamics and Satellite Communications at Cranfield University and supervises MSc student projects and PhD researchers for the MSc in Astronautics/Space and Autonomous systems (AVDC).

Prof. Dominique Legendre graduated with a PhD in Fluid Mechanics from Toulouse INP, France, in 1996.  He has been a Professor of Fluide Mechanics since 2007 is a senior researcher at IMFT (Institut de Mécanique des Fluides de Toulouse), one of the leading Fluid Mechanics Institutes in Europe.  He is chairman of the Governing Board of the International Conference of Multiphase Flows (ICMF).

His main line of research is multiphase flows, in particular, bubble and drop dynamics including, heat and mass transfer, icing, and wetting phenomena.  Over the last decade, he has developed a research program on Airtanker efficiency with a strong connection with the Aerial FireFighting community.  In particular, he has developed the NaSCa code to model ground deposits of liquid dropped by any aerial system.  In 2019 a patent was granted for a new delivery system KIOS in collaboration with Kepplair Evolution.  He led several international publications on the subject.  In 2023, in Washington DC, he delivered an invited keynote lecture on the fluid mechanics of airtanker firefighting at one of the most prestigious international fluid mechanics conference (Annual Meeting of the Divison of Fluid Dynamics of the American Physical Society).  For all these contributions, he received in 2022 the Award « Transfert Technologique » of Toulouse University.

Agricultural Engineer with a background in business management, Pierre Macé heads the GIP ATGeRI (Public Interest Group - Regional Planning and Risk Management), whose main missions are to support its members (State, Region, local fire fighters, Forest defense against first (DFCI), national forest office) in their public decision-making by rapidly providing them with objective and precise information on their territory, and facilitating inter-service information exchanges (cartography, dashboards, analysis tools).

He also manages DFCI Girone and Aquitaine (Foreste denese against fire), which covers more than 1.4 million hectares of forest in over 600 communes.

Jean-Christophe has more than 33 years with Sabena.

EDHEC, ELM, HEC.

He has experience in various management positions: Purchase, Military Program, Customer Support, Sales & Development, International.

All range of products for both military & civil aircraft.

Above all he is an "aviation fanatic"!!!

Fire Chief Anthony C. Marrone has been a member of the County of Los Angeles Fire Department for 39 years and a chief officer for the past 27 years.  Prior to his appointment by the County of Los Angeles Board of Supervisors as the tenth Fire Chief and Forester and Fire Warden, Chief Marrone served as the Interim Fire Chief.

Chief Marrone leads one of the largest metropolitan emergency services agencies in the United States, providing traditional fire and life safety services to more than 4.1 million resident and commercial business customer in 60 cities served by the Department, in addition to 120 unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County within its 2,311 square-mile jurisdiction.  The Department operates out of 176 fire stations, with more than 5,000 emergency responders and business professionals operating with an annual budget of just over $.17 billion.  In addition, the Department provides lifeguard, air and wildland, hazardous materials, homeland security, health hazardous materials, forestry, and urban search and rescue team, known internationally as USA-2, is one of only two highly specialized teams available for international disaster response through a cooperative agreement with the Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance.

Chief Marrone's well-established career combines broad experience in both emergency and business operations with an extensive list of accomplishments and assignments, including leading and managing Business Operations, the Leadership and Professional Standards Bureau, Special Services Bureau, Emergency Medical Services Bureau, East Regional Operations Bureau, and Central Regoinal Operations Bureau, in addition to special projects.  He has also directly managed routine and complex wildland fires and other significant all-risk incidents.

During his career with the Department, Chief Marrone has served on the Los Angeles County Emergency Preparedness Commission, the FIRESCOPE Board of Directors, Legal Exposure Reduction Committee, County Emergency Operations Center Team Lead, and as an Incident Commander on one of the Department's three Incident Management Teams.

Chief Marrone looks forward to collaborating with the Board of Supervisors, labor unions, stakeholder organizations, members of the Department, and the residents and communities we serve, to further stabilize the Department's budget, increase our diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, and expand emergency services and community risk reduction programs.

Domenico Mazza is the Group CTO of a leading international and independent simulator training organisation, where he leads a dynamic team of over 70 TRIs/TREs in supporting worldwide aviation training.  In addition, he is the General Manager of the Italian Centre in Milan and holds certification as a senior TRE and Functional SME on A320/330 aircraft.  With over 40 years' of experience in aviation, having flown many types ranging from military fighters and bombers to commercial single aisle MD80 and A320 family aircraft to twin aisle, MD11, B767 and A330's, including the successful launching of Mixed Fleet operations, Cadet Pilot Programs and Group Simulator Certification, inclusive of the unique FFS level D CL-415 across numerous NAAs including EASA, FAA and TCAA.

He began his career in the South African Air Force as an aviator and officer, moving onto commercial aviation where he remained for many years as a management pilot covering roles from Chief Pilot, Crew Training Nominated Person to Accountable Manager/Chief Operating Officer.

Throughout his career, Domenico has been recognized for his leadership in Safety and a Just Culture, embedding flight training to benefit thereof.

When not working, Domenico enjoys swimming, cycling, and exploring new cultures with his family.

Matteo Monterosso, Commander of the Firefighters in Fermo, Italy, has over 16 years' of experience in the National Firefighter Corps and a strong background in the aerospace sector.  He has held various leadership roles, including technical manager of the aerial fleet for 12 years, where he coordinated aerial operations in emergency situations.  His academic background includes a Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, a Master's in Civil Aviation Management, and a Master's in Crisis and Emergency Management.

Throughout his career, Matteo has participated in and coordinated the major national emergencies, managing complex operations in critical scenarios.  As a member of the Aerial Firefighter Task Group within the European Commission, he has contributed to the development and standardization of operational procedures for the use of aerial resources in wildfire fighting and other emergencies.

His skills range from managing aerial operations to strategic planning in crisis situations, with a strong focus on safety, operational efficiency, and coordination among various agencies involved in emergencies.

Currently, as Commander of the Firefighters in Fermo, he continues to work to ensure the safety of the community, promoting ongoing training and improving the efficiency of the service in response to all types of emegencies.

Nacho Navacerrada Blanco was born in Madrid, in 1989.  He studied Business Administration at Universidad de Alcalá (UAH) and IESE business school.

He started working at Entrol in 2012.  At that time, the company was formed by seven employees that manufactured three simulators yearly.  Nacho has been key to helping evolve the company to more than 50 employees and manufacturing more than 15 simulators yearly.

After 12 years in the industry, Nacho has become the Sales Director in Entrol simulators, and he is an expert regarding the certification, capabilities, and adequacy of the different flight simulators.

He has witnessed the evolution of the industry these last years and aims to introduce a serene point of view to the aviation panorama.

Sean Navin is the Program Director for Amentum Aviation working with Cal Fire at McClellan AB, Sacramento, California.  Amentum/Cal Fire is the gold standard in Aerial Firefighting and currently operates and maintains CALFIRE's S-2T air tankers, OV-10 air tactical aircraft, UH-1H Super Hueys, S-70i Blackhawks, C-130H training aircraft and Beechcraft King Airs.  The majority of the maintenance is performed at McClellan Park, near Sacramento, California.  During fire season, Amentum maintenance personnel and pilots are stationed at various air attack and Helitack bases strategically located through California to provide a quick and effective response to wildfires.

Col Navin (retired) began his military career in 1990 at the 134th Fighter Winger, Vermont Air National Guard, as an F-16 pilot.  Following eight years of service, Col Navin transferred to the 144th Fighter Wing, California Air National Guard.  Col Navin held multiple positinos within the 144th Fighter Wing to include: 144th Vice Wing Commander, 194th Fighter Squadron Commander, and Operations Support Commander.  Col Navin completed the National Preparedness Leadership Initiative (NPLI) senior leadership course at Harvard University, as well as completing the Joint and Combined Warfighting School-Hybrid (JCWS-H).  Col Navin closed his miltiary career as Commander of the 163d Attack Wing, California Air National Guard, March Air Reserve Base, California.  The 163d Attack Wing is comprised of more than 900 personnel.  The wing is the California Air National Guard's exclusive MQ-9A Reaper operatinos unit providing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance support, as well as tactical combat support, to commanders and war fighters around the world.  He is a command pilot with more than 2,300 flying hours in F-16s and F-15s; operations supported include: OPERATIONAL NOBLE EAGLE, OPERATION SOUTHERN WATCH, and OPERATION CORONET NIGHTHAWK.

Zisoula Ntasiou currently serves as a Fire Colonel in the Hellenic Fire Corps, a division of the General Secretariat for Civil Protection within the Ministry for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection.  She graduated from the Hellenic Fire Academy in 2002 and holds both a Bachelor's degree and a Master's degree in Forestry from the School of Forestry and Natural Environment at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

With over 20 years' of experience, Colonel Ntasiou has served as a Duty Officer at the National Coordination Center for Operations and Crisis Management of the Hellenic Fire Service in Athens.  In the past year, she has taken on the role of Chief Commander of the Aerial Fire Fighting Coordination Center - Unit 2.  Throughout each fire season, she coordinates with various agencies, including the Hellenic Army, Air Force, Hellenic Police, and private helicopter operators.  Additionally, she organizes and participates as a speaker in numerous aerial firefighting workshops, meetings and conferences.

In 2017, Colonel Ntasiou became a member of the Forest Fires Expert Group at the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) in Brussels, representing countries vulnerable to forest fires.  She also serves as the Secretary of the Forest Fires Commission of the International Association of Fire and Rescue Services (CTIF).  In October 2021, she presented at the European Conference on Aerial Firefighting in Tallinn, Estonia, in March 2022 she spoke at the Aerial Firefighting Conference in San Diego, California and in October 2023, she was the moderator at the Aerial Firefighting Conference in Athens.

In June 2024, Colonel Ntasiou was elected Vice President of the International Association of Fire and Rescue Services (CTIF).

Outside of her professional life, Zisoula is married and a mother to a 17-year-old-son.  In her leisure time, she enjoys spending time with her family, climbing, photography, and playing music.  Known for her optimism and determination, she sets and consistently achieves her goals.

Matthias Ott, 59 years old, Bavarian State Ministry of the Interior for Sports and Integration.

Staff Officer.

Since 2017, Head of the Department "Situation, Operations & Technical Matters of Fire Departments & Disaster Protection; Preventive Fire Protection" in the Bavarian State Ministry of the Interior for Sports & Integration.

Head of the disaster control staff for the Free State of Bavaria.

Deputy head of the working group "National Forest Fire Protection" of the German federal states.

Head of the sub-working group "Aerial Firefighting" within the working group "National Forest Fire Protection".

41 years in operational service with the fire department, including 27 years with the Munich Professional Fire Department as an operations manager.

Experience in managing large-scale incidents and leading large inter-regional operational units.

Training in the EU Civil Protection Mechanism up to the "High Level Coordination Course".

Aerospace engineer since 2012.  After completing an internship in Toulouse and earning a master's degree in project management and aeronautics, joined the Spanish Air and Space Force in 2014 as part of the Corps of Engineers.

First assigned to the Maestranza Aérea de Albacete as the Head of the Firefighting Aircraft Workshop.  In 2018, moved to the 43rd Group of the Armed Forces as Head of Engineering and Quality Section.  This role includes participation as a member of the Spanish team in the acquisition of the DHC-515 and the modernization of the national fleet.

Additionally, specialized training including the Flight Safety Course and the Military Operational Investigation Course.  In recognition of contributions, awarded with the Aeronautical Merit Medal and the Civil Protection Merit Medal.

Executive Manager Unmanned Systems Sector within Aerospace Valley competitiveness cluster.

Seconded from Thales, he provides additional support based on its 15 years spent on unmanned systems.

In his previous position, he was in charge of European affairs for unmanned systems and the marketing of Drone as a service to IGOs and governments.

Arnaud Rimokh joined Thales in 1999 and has held a number of marketing and business development positions primarily in the defense market then security domain.  These positions have taken him on assignments throughout the world, including USA, Africa, Middle East and Far East such as Korea.

Mr. Rimokh graduated from the Universityh of Paris Assas in 1998 and 2000 with two post-graduate degrees: International Administration - Defense & military industrial complex.

Bill is the Sales and Business Development Manager for BLAZETAMER USA.  He has held this position since 2016, following his retirement from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources after 36 years of service.  Bill began his career in fire and aviation in 1982 as a helicopter crewmember and worked on firefighting hand crews throughout the western USA.  Bill became qualified in several positions, to include: Incident Commander, Air Operations Branch Director, Branch Director, Air Attack Officer, Helicopter Coordinator, Aerial Ignition Specialist and Prescribed Burn Boss.  Bill served as a member of Type I and Type II Incident Management Teams and on several Interagency Aviation Committees.  Bill promoted to the Helicopter Operations Specailist position for the DNR in 2007 and retired as the Wildfire Aviation Supervisor, where he managed both the fixed wing and helicopter programs for the State.  Bill is a certified forester and currently owns and operates Schuster's Forest Management-FIre-Aviation LLC, where, in addition to his work in aviation, he provides assistance to non-industrial private landowners in Minnesota for forest management planning, timber harvest and reforestation.  Bill served 32 years on his local community Volunteer Fire Department as a structure firefighter and as a Supervisor and Chairman of the local Town Board of Supervisors for 25 years.  His hobbies include hunting, fishing, trapping and spending time with his wife and family on their Tree Farm and at their cabin.

Battalion Chief Christopher Siok has dedicated 26 years to public service, beginning his firefighting career with the City of Fullerton before joining the Los Angeles County Fire Department in 2001.  In January 2024, he was appointed Battalion Chief of Air Operations within the Air & Wildland Division.

In this role, Chief Siok oversees a team of 55 personnel, including pilots, crewmembers, mechanics, and administrative staff.  He manages a diverse aerial fleet comprising 10 multi-mission helicopters, one contract helitanker, and two contract firefighting airplanes.  Chief Siok also contributes to statewide firefighting efforts as a member of the FIRESCOPE aviation committee, where he works to enhance interagency communication and coordination during wildland incidents.

For the past eight years, Chief Siok has served on Los Angeles County's Incident Management Team 1.  He is a certified California State Fire Training Instructor and has been a lead instructor for numerous leadership programs, including Fire Captain and Battalion Chief Training Academies.

Chief Siok holds an Associate of Science degree in Fire Technology from Santa Ana College and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from the University of California, San Diego.

Chief Sjolund oversees CAL FIRE's Command & Control, Fire Protection Operations, Mobile Equipment, Aviation, law enforcement, and Fire Intelligence programs.  With extensive experience in wildfire management and emergency response, he plays a critical role in ensuring California's fire protection strategies remain effective and innovative.  Chief Sjolund is dedicated to enhancing operational efficiency, advancing fire suppression tactics, and strengthening interagency coordination to safeguard communities and natural resources across the state.

Chief Matthew Sully oversees CAL FIRE's Local Government and State-Federal-International programs, which include the Department's Training, Safety, EMS and Handcrew functions.  A dynamic leader and strategic thinker, he is passionate about strengthening partnerships across agencies to enhance fire service capabilities.  Chief Sully plays a vital role in adminstering more than 100 Cooperative Fire Protection Agreements, ensuring seamless collaboration between CAL FIRE and its partners to provide effective emergency response and fire protection services.

Neil Sweeney is the Vice-President of Corporate Affairs for Westerkirk Capital, where he is accountable for the government relations and communications activities of the companies held by Westerkirk, including De Havilland Canada.

Neil has spent his career in both the private and public sectors.  In the private sector, he most recently held the roles of Vice-President of Stakeholder Relations for TC Energy in Calgary and Vice-President of Stakeholder Relations for Coastal GasLink, in addition to previously holding the role of Vice-President of Corporate Affairs for the Labatt Brewing Company.

In the public sector, Neil previously held the roles of Deputy Minister for Intergovernmental Relations, Corporate Policy and Planning, and Government Communications in the British Columbia provincial government under Premier Christy Clark, as well as served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Premier Gordon Campbell.

Neil lives in Victoria with his wife and three children where he enjoys running and the occasional game of golf when he can find the time.

Ray joined Recoil in August 2023 as a Customer Service/Product Support Manager.  With a remarkable background spanning over 19 years in sales, flight operations management, inventory, logistics, and training, Ray brings extensive expertise to the team.  Previously, Ray served in various leadership roles, including director of marketing and sales at JM5/Equipment Solutions & Personnel, and Business Development Manager and Director of International Sales (Africa, Middle East) at Capewell Aerial Systems.  Ray's experience in the Florida Army National Guard as an Aviator/Ammunition Specialist and Flight Operations Specialist/ALSE Officer further exemplifies his commitment to excellence and attention to detail.

Aviation specific experience:    Retired Chief Warrant officer U.S. Army; Flew AH-64s and UH-60s (A/L/M); Multiple overseas deployments to include Kuwait, Bosnia and Iraq; Aerial firefighting experience in Florida.