Steering
Committee

President, Science Alliance Inc. and Science to the Station

Dr. Sara Jahnke is one of the nation's leading authorities on firefighter and first responder health. With over a decade of groundbreaking research, she has dedicated her career to translating cutting-edge scientific findings into practical solutions that improve safety, wellness, resilience, and quality of life for emergency responders.

As President of Science to the Station, Dr. Jahnke leads a national alliance that bridges the gap between evidence-based research and frontline practice. She oversees strategic vision, program development, and nationwide partnerships, including the flagship Science to the Station "Nerdstock" conference, ensuring that scientific advances in cancer prevention, cardiovascular health, behavioral health, reproductive health, sleep, nutrition, and family resilience directly reach fire and EMS departments of all sizes.

Research & Leadership

As Senior Principal Investigator and Director of the Center for Fire, Rescue & EMS Health Research at NDRI-USA, Dr. Jahnke has led over a dozen national studies as principal investigator and collaborated on dozens more, totaling more than $30 million in research funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), FEMA's Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program, the Department of Defense, and leading health foundations. Her work has addressed critical health concerns including the health of female firefighters, behavioral health, injury risk, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and substance use. She has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications in medical literature.

Dr. Jahnke also serves as President of ResponderStrong, a groundbreaking national initiative providing innovative online mental health and wellness support tools to emergency responders nationwide.

Education & Credentials

• PhD in Counseling Psychology (Health Emphasis), University of Missouri–Kansas City
• MA in Counseling & Guidance, University of Missouri–Kansas City
• Clinical Psychology Internship, University of Kansas School of Medicine
• American Heart Association Fellowship in Epidemiology and Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease
• Fellow, American College of Epidemiology

Awards & Recognition

• Arthur J. Glatfelter Distinguished Service Award (2024)
• IAFC President's Award for Excellence in Fire Service Research (2018)
• Excellence in Research, Safety, Health & Survival Award, International Association of Fire Chiefs
• 2019 Endowed Lecture, American College of Epidemiology
• John Granito Award for Excellence in Firefighter Research (2016)

Board Service

Dr. Jahnke serves on the Board of Directors for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, National Volunteer Fire Council, NFPA Research Foundation, Center for Public Safety Education (CPSE), Missouri Cancer Trust, and Firefighter Cancer Support Network.

Vice President, Science to the Station

Kepra Jack is a registered nurse and public safety health expert who focuses on the wellness and longevity of first responders, especially firefighters and law enforcement personnel. She is best known for her leadership role with HeartFit for Duty and her national-level work advancing data-driven firefighter and officer health programs.

Research & Leadership

Kepra is the Co‑Founder, Co‑Owner, and Chief Operating Officer/Director of Operations for HeartFit for Duty, a medical practice dedicated to fire, law enforcement, and other public safety agencies. Through HeartFit, she partners with departments across the country on cardiac and cancer studies and uses that research to design occupationally relevant wellness programs, enhanced physicals, and risk-reduction initiatives for high‑risk responders.​

As Vice President of the Science Alliance – Science to the Station, Kepra helps connect frontline agencies with current science, translating findings on cardiovascular disease, cancer, sleep disruption, and other chronic conditions into practical strategies that departments can implement. She is frequently engaged as a presenter and educator, speaking about “what should be on your radar” for responder health and how agencies can change habits and operations to reduce injuries and long‑term disease.

Committee and advisory work

Kepra has dedicated her career to the public safety community and serves as a voting member on multiple national bodies, including NFPA committees, the ACOEM Public Safety Medicine Committee, and the National Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) Medical Guidance Committee. In these roles, she contributes to standards and recommendations that shape medical surveillance, fitness‑for‑duty expectations, and wellness guidelines for firefighters, law enforcement, and other responders.

Collaborations & Partnerships

Through HeartFit and her national committee work, Kepra and her team collaborate with organizations such as the Firefighter Cancer Cohort Study, NDRI’s Center for Fire, Rescue & EMS Health Research, Skidmore University, the First Responder Center for Excellence, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, The 100 Club, the University of Arizona, and The Science Alliance. These partnerships support data‑driven approaches to occupational health, expanding the scope of wellness programs, identifying funding pathways, and “moving the needle” toward healthier, longer responder careers.

Education & Background

Kepra holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and spent roughly 15 years as an Emergency Room nurse and paramedic coordinator before specializing in occupational and public safety medicine. Her frontline clinical experience, combined with her roles as an occupational health clinician, researcher, and educator, informs her focus on practical, implementable health solutions tailored to the realities of the public safety community.

In his capacity, he is responsible for over 150 career employees in ten locations. Under Tom’s leadership, the Rogers Fire Department has become accredited by the Center for Public Safety Excellence (since 2011), Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (since 2012) and was awarded an Insurance Service Officer Public Protection Classification of one in 2015.

Chief Jenkins has served on several state commissions and panels, including the Trauma Advisory Council, Firefighter Benefit Review Panel and the Safe Schools Commission. Chief Jenkins has served as an adjunct professor for Drury University, Northwest Arkansas Community College, and Oklahoma State University, teaching topics that range from leadership and administration to fire hydraulics and suppression tactics. In 2015, Chief Jenkins was elected to serve on the Board of Directors for the International Association of Fire Chiefs as the Second Vice President. In 2017, he was elected President and Chairman of the Board for the IAFC at Fire Rescue International in Charlotte, North Carolina. He continues to serve the IAFC as a member and chairman of the Past President’s Council and co-host of the “iChiefs” podcast series.

In addition to public service, Tom is a recognizable face at many fire and emergency medical conferences where he speaks and presents regularly. Chief Jenkins completed his Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Oklahoma and obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Fire Protection and Safety Engineering Technology from Oklahoma State University. He has completed the Executive Fire Officer Program at the National Fire Academy and is a designated Chief Fire Officer and Chief Emergency Medical Services Officer from the Commission on Public Credentialing. In 2020 he was appointed by Secretary of Homeland Security, Chad Wolf, to serve on the Homeland Security Advisory Council. He currently serves on multiple boards and advisory committees, including the: NFPA Standard on Organization and Deployment of Career Fire Departments Standard 1710, chair of the NFPA standard of Fire Hose, International Fire Service Training Association Executive Board, National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, and the PulsePoint Foundation.

John is the President and CEO of the International Public Safety Data Institute, the fire service’s leader in data and analytics. As CEO, he is responsible for the growth, adoption, and continuous improvement of the NFORS Analytics, Exposure Tracker, and FireCARES programs.

Prior to being appointed I-PSDI CEO in November 2021, John served as Chief of the East Hartford, Connecticut Fire Department for 13 years. Prior to that, he served in West Hartford, CT for 20 years, reaching the rank of Battalion Chief. John has a BS from Franklin Pierce University, a MS from Oklahoma State University, is a graduate of the National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officer Program, and holds numerous professional certifications. He has been an Advocate for the NFFF’s Everyone Goes Home Program since the inception of the 16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives.

He serves at the First Responder Center for Excellence as a member of the Behavioral Health Advisory Committee. Chief Oates serves as a member of the NFPA 3000 Active Shooter/Hostile Event Response Technical Committee and the Technical Committee for Safety at Motorsports Venues (NFPA 610) where he served as Chairman from 2005 until 2016.

DENNIS (Denny) COMPTON is a well-known speaker and the author of several books, including his most recent offering titled Progressive Leadership Principles, Concepts and Tools.

He also authored the three-part series of books titled When in Doubt, Lead, the book Mental Aspects of Performance for Firefighters and Fire Officers, as well as many articles, chapters, and other publications.

Compton was the fire chief in Mesa, AZ, for five years and an assistant fire chief in Phoenix, where he served for 27 years. He is the past chairman of the Executive Board of the International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA), past chairman of the Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI) National Advisory Committee, and past chairman of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) Board of Directors.

He is also the President of the nationwide non-profit Firefighter Cancer Support Network. Bryan has more than 31 years of Fire/EMS experience in a variety of assignments ranging from operations to emergency management. He is a well-known speaker on the topic of firefighter health and safety, leadership, public safety innovation, and cancer risk reduction. Bryan holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration, a Bachelor’s Degree in Vocational Education, and an Associate’s Degree in Fire Technology. He has also been designated as a Chief Fire Officer (CFO) by the Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE).

Frank Leeb is the managing director of the First Responder Center for Excellence (FRCE).

He previously served as a Deputy Assistant Chief in the Fire Department of New York.

Retiring in June 2024 with more than 31 years. During his tenure with the FDNY, he held several senior staff positions, including the Chief of the Fire Academy, Chief of Training, and Chief of Safety.

Frank has also been an East Farmingdale Fire Department member since 1983 (Long Island, NY).

He is the author of the best-selling book “Cornerstones of Leadership - On And Off The fireground” and the co-author of “30 Fire You Must Know”.

His association with the CSU began over 20 years ago as a Crisis Counselor for incidents such as line-of-duty deaths and mass casualty events. On September 11th, 2001 he responded to the World Trade Center as an officer in charge of a rescue team. Since 9/11, Captain Leto has developed innovative outreach, counseling, and education programs for firefighters and their families who have experienced potentially traumatic events.

In addition to his work as Deputy Director of the CSU and its staff of ninety, he has worked closely with the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) and the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) to develop behavioral health protocols and to aid departments nationwide after major incidents.

Captain Leto has also traveled internationally to share his experiences with fire departments in Northern Ireland, the Netherlands, and Okinawa Japan to aid Military Fire Fighters. He has assisted the London Fire Brigade after the transit bombings in 2005, and the Urban Search and Rescue Teams following the devastating earthquake in Haiti in 2010. Through his work with the IAFF and NFFF, he has supported numerous departments including those on the Gulf Coast after Katrina, Charleston, SC, and Aurora, Colorado after the theater shooting, and more recently Boston following the Marathon Bombing.

Frank was one the first graduates of the West Point – FDNY Terrorism and Counterterrorism Program and also is a Certified Employees Assistance Professional.

He served on the board of directors of the International Fire Relief Mission and was its director of communication. He is a volunteer editor for FirefighterCloseCalls.com. He holds a bachelor's degree in communications and a master’s degree in fine arts. He has logged more than 15 years as an editor-in-chief and has written numerous articles on firefighting. Additionally, he’s been an editor in three business-to-business sectors and worked as a newspaper journalist. He has served as a visiting professor at Purdue University and serves on Purdue’s communication department advisory board. He is a certified fire investigator and fire and life safety educator. He can be reached at RickM@VolunteerFirefighterIntl.com.

Chief Bernzweig started his career with the Columbus Fire Department in 1997 and has risen through the ranks to his current assignment as a Battalion Chief. He was the Department’s Safety Officer from 2014-2016. He began his fire service career in 1986, having served the Chesterland VFD (Chesterland, OH) the Clinton Township Division of Fire (Columbus, OH), and the Jackson Township Fire Department (Grove City, OH).

Chief Bernzweig is actively involved in many fire service organizations. He has been the Director of Health and Safety for the Ohio Association of Professional Firefighters since 2014.

Rick Best is a nationally recognized leader in firefighter health and safety. He has more than 25 years of experience in fire service training, program development, and public speaking, and he currently serves as the Chief Training Officer for the Eastland Fairfield Career and Technologies Centers Fire Programs and previously served as the Everyone Goes Home Advocate Program Manager for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. In that role, Rick oversaw a system of more than 160 advocates who serve as volunteer trainers delivering programs throughout the United States to develop instructors for the NFFF’s Courage to Be Safe, Leadership, Accountability, Culture, and Knowledge (LACK) and other courses.

Rick Best's journey in the fire service began as a volunteer firefighter, a testament to his passion and dedication. His hard work and commitment led him to a full-time position for the City of Westerville (OH) Division of Fire, where he served until his retirement in 2019. As a Credentialed Chief Training Officer, he spent 15 years on staff at the Ohio Fire Academy, a State Fire Marshal’s Office division. Rick's expertise has been recognized through his invitations to present at various fire service events and his membership in the NFPA 1001-1002-1003-1005 and NFPA 1041 Technical Committees.

Rick holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Administration and a master’s degree in strategic and organizational leadership from Neumann University. He is the 2020 recipient of the Fire Department Safety Officers Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognizes his significant contributions to the health and safety of America’s firefighters.