October 15-17, 2026
Lethbridge Alberta
2026 CONFERENCE SPEAKERS
Bassel Ibrahim
Bassel Ibrahim is a 21 years student of the fire service and currently serves as the Company Officer of
Tower 1 for the Orlando Fire Department. He began his career in Volusia County, FL, and has spent
the majority of his time on Special Operations units, including Orlando Heavy Rescue 1, Tower 6, and
Volusia Squads 35 & 23.
Bassel is the founder of the Firefighter Mayday Survey and is a certified Florida and Georgia Smoke
Diver. He is a graduate of Georgia F.L.A.M.E.S. and the owner and lead instructor of Proactive Rescue
Operations (PRO), a training company that specializes in Rapid Intervention Teams (RIT), Survival,
Truck Operations, and Leadership.
In addition to his role at the Orlando Fire Department, Bassel leads the department’s new hire physical
training programs and its competition teams. He also teaches the Urban Search and Rescue (USAR)
series at the state level and has presented lectures and workshops at various fire conferences, local
fire departments, and FOOLS chapters, including FDIC.
Bassel has contributed articles on RIT operations and leadership to Fire Engineering, Fire Rescue 1,
and Fire Chief Magazine. He is also one of the authors of The Book Of Search and frequently appears
on podcasts, interviews, and webinars, including serving as a panelist for a Mayday series hosted by
Fire Rescue 1 and as a guest speaker on the Humpday Hangout series and Perspective On
Leadership. He also serves as a technical reviewer for Fire Engineering.
Jamie Erickson
Jamie Erickson is the Owner and Head Instructor of Alberta Defensive Tactics Training Inc., and has over 20 years teaching experience both in the Law Enforcement field and Private sectors. Jamie spent 2 years instructing Officer Safety at the Alberta Solicitor General Staff College and has taught hundreds of Emergency Services Personnel throughout Alberta, Saskatchewan, The Northwest Territories and the Yukon.
Jamie has over 20 years Law Enforcement service and currently serves as a full time Peace Officer in Eastern Alberta. Jamie has also been heavily involved in Emergency Management and has held the position of Director of Emergency Management with active roles in the 2005 and 2013 Alberta Floods, Train Derailments and Wildfires. Jamie currently is approved to teach the ICS Canada 100, 200 and 300 Courses.
Jamie holds the designation as a Level 2 Collision Investigator, Provincial On Highways Dangerous Goods Inspector and is a Driving Instructor for Emergency Vehicle Operations
Jamie served in the Canadian Armed Forces as a Land Weapons Technician, has worked as an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer as well as numerous Security, K9 and Executive Protection Details.
Jamie served on the Executive Team of the Alberta Association of Community Peace Officers for the 11 years and has held the positions of Training Officer, Ceremonial Unit Chair, Vice-President and President. In that time he sat on the Alberta Solicitor General CPOIP Advisory Committee as well as the Office of Traffic Safety, Traffic Enforcement Committee, and the Province of Alberta Police Pursuit Guidelines Committee
Kevan Jess
Kevan D. Jess has worked in Canada’s public safety risk management world for over 50 years, 45 in the fire service.
His fire service journey began in 1982 as a volunteer in Westlock AB where he served as Captain, Training Officer and Assistant Chief. In 1990 he joined the provincial Fire Prevention Branch as Fire Service Advisor in Lethbridge. He co-managed the Safety Codes Implementation Team for Alberta Labour and delivered SCA grandfathering courses throughout Alberta. Kevan also served as an Accredited Agency contract administrator, SCA auditor and AFTS/fire etc./LLC ETC Instructor/Evaluator throughout Alberta.
In 2007 Kevan transferred to Edmonton as Fire Service Advisor for Central – Northwest and then served as Asst. Fire Commissioner and Provincial Field Operations Manager for AEMA until 2009.
Kevan then became the Provincial Fire Administrator and assisted with defining the 2010 “HIRF” amendments to the Alberta Building Code and the development of the Alberta Fire Code 2014. During this time, he became a member of ULC’s Canadian Technical Committees on Fire and Life Safety Systems dealing with fire alarms, smoke alarms, hydrants, hose, and fire apparatus. Kevan was also the Manager of Flood Recovery managing the Rapid Damage Assessment process for the 2013 Floods and the 2016 Horse River – Fort McMurray fire. He became Alberta’s representative to the Canadian Council of Fire Marshals and Fire Commissioners in 2012 and joined ULC’s Canadian Safety Advisory Council staring in 2014.
In 2017 Kevan became Provincial Fire Commissioner with responsibilities for province wide Fire Origin and Cause investigations, Fire Department Training Grants, Provincial Fire Code enforcement, Fire Prevention/Public Education Programming as well as Community Risk Reduction and WUI Structural Protection, guiding and supporting the work of many dedicated professional team members.
In 2020 Kevan left the Government as part of restructuring and has worked part-time as a fire and life safety code advisor/consultant throughout Alberta as well as Technical Coordinator for the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs.
Kevan was recently honoured for his ten years and continuing service on UL Solutions Canadian Safety and Security Councils. He is currently in his second term as the Alberta Fire Chiefs Association representative on the SCC’s Fire SubCouncil and maintains his qualifications as an NFPA certified Fire Officer, Inspector, Investigator, Instructor and Evaluator.
Currently residing in St. Albert Kevan operates a consulting practice focusing on municipalities served by volunteer fire suppression and rescue departments. He provides strategic planning, operational review, and regulatory support services when not having the time of his life with their grandchildren.
Clayton Rutberg
Clayton Rutberg is the Director of Protective Services for the Town of Coaldale, where he oversees fire services, municipal enforcement, disaster and emergency management. With more than 20 years of experience, he has built a diverse career spanning fire operations, EMS, emergency management, instruction, public education, and municipal leadership.
Prior to his current role, Clayton served as Deputy Fire Chief of Operations for the Town of Coaldale. He holds a master’s degree in Disaster and Emergency Management from Royal Roads University.Clayton is passionate about advancing practical training, strengthening operational readiness, and supporting responder development. He is committed to building progressive, resilient emergency services that effectively serve and protect their communities.