11/13/2025
The “For Them Fire Conference” could not have been done without a tribe of people working hard for months in advance. The list is long, but we feel like these people deserve some recognition.
Nathan Pipps, our Spindletop F.O.O.L.S. Training Chair, organized this conference three years ago. He knew what he wanted it to be, found the right people to help him, and year three of this conference went off without one hiccup. The skills he wanted taught, and the instructors he got to teach them, are truly legendary.
Haden Grove, our Spindletop F.O.O.L.S. Vice President #2, was pivotal in organizing the help and operations of this conference. Haden’s knowledge of the incident command system and his networking abilities kept this group of blue-collar firefighters organized and supplied. Haden oversaw the operations of our two hands-on training days of the conference. Haden also lost a rock, paper, scissors match before the 2024 conference and is now forever stuck as the less-than-mediocre master of ceremonies.
JR Reseweber, our Spindletop F.O.O.L.S. President, was most definitely the hardest-working guy on the team. All the skills stations that had to be built would not have happened without JR. JR was over our “Search Track,” which was comprised of six skill stations. Most of all, we want to congratulate JR on absolutely crushing his first-ever keynote speech!
Mike Birkby, our Spindletop F.O.O.L.S. Brotherhood Chair and favorite Canadian, made our smoke barrels and stands and supplied pallets and trailers to carry them. Mike was over our “Engine Track,” which had four skill stations.
Kyle Phillips, our Spindletop F.O.O.L.S. member who is not a board member but is basically a board member because he does all the tasks the actual board members don’t want to do… Just days before the conference, Kyle stepped up and accepted the challenge to be one of our forcible entry skills station instructors. Kyle did an amazing job, and we got many compliments from students. Kyle’s wife, Kattie Phillips (Baytown Firefighter who made more first in fires her probie year than her husband), was our go-to logistics helper. Most importantly, traveling to get our food and making multiple trips to the corner store to buy all the white Monsters they had. Kattie also played a great irate house fire victim.
Aaron McNeil, our Spindletop F.O.O.L.S. Treasurer, did the least popular job on the committee and did it amazingly. As our conference's Logistics dude, Aaron registered all the students and sorted them into groups. Aaron also kept up with all things finance, making sure we stayed within budget. Aaron was able to supply us with tons of pallets. Shout out to Aaron’s Dad for showing up to our two hands-on days and gophering around the drinking water and slinging wooden pallets around.
Hieu Dang, our Spindletop F.O.O.L.S. Secretary, was our Liaison with Industrial Rescue and kept the smoke barrels CHUGGING!
Jared Sampson, a former Treasurer of Spindletop F.O.O.L.S., kept the forcible entry wood cut, window sashes cut, and helped keep them smoke barrels CHUGGING! Jared also slung that merch out during lecture day.
Kenny Sanderson, an active Spindletop F.O.O.L.S. member, assisted with build-out days, supplied multiple trailer loads of pallets, and assisted in keeping them smoke barrels CHUGGING! Special shout-out to Kenny and IAFF Local 399 for opening their union hall for our brotherhood social!
Nathan Fowler, an active Spindletop F.O.O.L.S. member, always shows up to help when we need it. During the two hands-on training days, Nathan spun more valves than any man alive, keeping the students’ and instructors' SCBA bottles filled! Even if it was just to 2216 PSI…
Sean Sanders, an active Spindletop F.O.O.L.S. member, was a multi-year For Them student who volunteered his time to come out and do anything we asked of him. Ran around the field from one committee member to another, completing task after task.
“Pumper Pete” Bowman, “For Them” Staff… had to be called in for reinforcements after JR, Mike, and Haden almost had a pump ops catastrophe during For Them 2024. Pete kept an eye on the ones and twos, ensuring the water kept flowing and the engines kept running. He even got to make fun of a quint…
Shout-out to all our speakers and instructors. Phillip Kibodeaux, Matt Bryan, Justin McWilliams, Justyn Fraize, Thomas Cruz, Kevin Phluger, Tom Hollick, Daniel Cano, John Velez Jr., Logan Hinkle, Bryce Campbell, Dylan Compton, Sandy O Malley, Matt Wright, Josh Wheeler, Michael Lugo, Ryan Wright, Daniel Drury.
Shout out to Josh Lantz for getting some great photos and footage of the conference!
If you helped us out and we forgot your name. We still love and appreciate you.
Thanks again to all! Cannot wait for “For Them” 2026!!!
