Rick Swales is a 25-year veteran of the fire service. He retired in 2022 as a Captain with the City of Fayetteville Fire Department, and now works as a Firefighter for The City of Grand Junction Fire Department in western Colorado. He graduated from the Georgia Smoke Diver program in Class #39. He is a lead instructor with GSD and Vertical Consult (SPRAT level 3), and is a HOT Instructor with FDIC since 2009. Rick has been a speaker at the Colorado Fire Chiefs Leadership Conference and specializes in realistic modern fire department training. Rick has instructed with "Do Your Part" fire department training and "Bearers of the Oath".

Matthew Vess is a 18-year veteran of the fire service. He spent 15 years working for the City of Dalton in Georgia.  He graduated from the Georgia Smoke Diver program in Class #38 and the Indiana Smoke Diver program in Class #2. He has served as the Operations Chief and Incident Commander for the Georgia Flames program. He currently works as a Firefighter for The City of Grand Junction Fire Department in Western Colorado.

Shane Erosky is a 21-year veteran of the fire service. He currently serves as a Captain at West Metro Fire Rescue in Lakewood, CO. Shane completed the Georgia Smoke Diver program in 2011 with Class #43, and became the first firefighter from the State of Colorado to complete the Georgia program. In addition to structural firefighting, Shane is a member of West Metro’s Wildland Team and is a NWCG qualified Task Force Leader, Strike Team Leader, and Type IV Incident Commander