First Responders’ Bridge Retreat – First Responders' Bridge

Speaker - "We Are In This Together"

Dave Gerold - Columbus Fire Dept (Ret)

Dave Joined Columbus Division of Fire in 1999, serving as a firefighter and paramedic in the University District, Short North, and Downtown neighborhoods. He was awarded Paramedic of the Year for 2015. Promoted to Lieutenant in 2017, Dave served as an Engine Officer, EMS Supervisor, and Peer Support Coordinator. Dave helped establish The Public Safety Wellness Center, A leading edge facility combining peers, clinicians, and chaplains into one building. Dave retired as The Members Support Unit Supervisor in 2024 with 25 years of service. He now has time for his favorite activities: traveling, hiking, kayaking, SCUBA, and physical fitness.

Speaker - "Trauma and Its Effect on First Responders"

Jo Terry - President, The Chip Terry Fund

Jo Terry is a recently retired licensed physical therapist who owned her own outpatient physical therapy clinic for over 20 years. She was married to Assistant Chief Alan "Chip" Terry (ret), from the City of Covington Fire Department for 31 years who completed suicide in 2017 after being misdiagnosed. Since his death in 2017, Jo has spent her time working with first responders and their families affected by PTS and teaching the class she developed called Trauma and its Effect on First Responders and their Family, telling Chip's story and the effects of suicide on those left behind. Jo is the president of The Chip Terry Fund for First Responders which she and her children established to provide first responders and their families with educational, financial, and emotional support. The Chip Terry Fund has assisted over 100 individuals with access to inpatient and outpatient services locally and nationally. In 2022, she was hired by the City of Covington Fire Department to become their Wellness Coordinator, to address the multitude of factors influencing mental and physical wellness for the department members. Jo is the mother of 6 children and in her spare time she enjoys working on her farm, hiking, exercising, and traveling with her family.

Speaker- "Empty Your Bucket, Fill Your Toolbox"

Lisa Callander - Director, City of Columbus EAP

Lisa has been with the City of Columbus EAP since 1989, providing program administration, clinical services, consultations, trainings and administering the City EAP. She has extensive experience in working with First Responder's, and in the area of critical incident stress response. She serves as a member of the Mid-Ohio and Columbus Fire CISM teams, and is the Mental Health Advisor for the Columbus Police Peer Assistance Team (PAT)

Keynote Speaker - "Taking the Cape Off"

Patrick J. Kenny - Fire Chief (retired), Hinsdale, Western Springs, Illinois

Patrick Kenny has been a member of the fire service for over 38 years, and before retiring in January 2021 served as the Fire Chief in Hinsdale and Western Springs, Illinois. He has been a Chief Officer for over 25 years and a speaker in multiple countries on Mayday for Mental Health® for more than a decade. He is the international best-selling author of TAKING THE CAPE OFF: How to Lead Through Mental Illness, Unimaginable Grief and Loss and has articles published in the areas of mental health, leadership, fire safety, and fire code challenges. He was awarded the Fire Chief of the Year in 2004 by the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association and in 2021 he was awarded Fire Chief Emeritus status by the Executive Board of the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association. He was awarded the Fire Engineering/International Society of Fire Service Instructors (ISFSI) George D. Post Instructor of the Year Award for 2020-2021.

Speaker- "Stigma: The Biggest Mistake We Make As First Responders"

Preston Moore- Mental Health and Wellness Advocate

With over two decades of experience, Preston is a passionate advocate for mental wellness and addiction education. He collaborates with organizations, first responders, and schools to reduce stigma and increase participation in services like coaching, counseling, and support groups. Preston provides trainings for the Columbus Police Department’s new officer program, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department, and the Ohio Department of Corrections. His keynotes address the mental and emotional challenges first responders face and highlight ways to encourage early intervention, family recovery and support, as well as help individuals create meaningful change. Preston is a proud graduate of Texas A&M University and lives in Columbus Ohio with his wife Sarah and son Austin. His TED Talk, How Social Support Can Fight Mental Health and Addiction Stigma, is available on YouTube.

Voluntary iRest Yoga Nidra Meditation

Voluntary meditation in the righthand side of the ballroom. This is a completely voluntary session. You are more than welcome to bring a mat and/or pillow with you

iRest Yoga Nidra is a practice of conscious sleep that helps you ease into deep states of relaxation that support falling asleep and obtaining restful sleep. 30 minutes of Yoga Nidra can be as restful as 2-4 hours of sleep, because of the ability to reduce sleep debt, which researchers believe is related to the brainwave changes that occur during the practice.

Additional benefits:

Improved mood
Increased resilience
Stress reduction
Enhanced concentration
Increased alertness

**Voluntary Chapel Service**

There will be uplifting music and Bridge Chaplain Joe Lorenz will discuss how faith plays an important role in the lives of first responders and their families.

Joe Lorenz – Columbus, OH Fire Department**

Joe has served with the Columbus Division of Fire as a firefighter, chaplain and peer since he joined in 2013. Having also served in over 25 years of pastoral ministry and foreign missions in 20 nations, Joe has provided leadership training, and pastoral care and counsel to individuals, families, and to members of the military and first responders, which has contributed to the development of the Columbus Fire Chaplain Team. Joe also serves as a chaplain for the First Responders' Bridge.

Speaker- "Spiritual Survival for First Responders"

Chief Neil Gang - (Ret)- Pinole, CA Police Dept

Chief Neil H. Gang served in law enforcement for over 34 years where he retired as the Chief of Police for the Pinole, California Police Department. He served as the Chairperson of the California Police Chiefs Association Organizational Wellness and Resiliency Committee and the Co-chair of the IACP Officer Safety & Wellness Committee. Chief Gang is the author of the Asher Model-7 Point Approach to a Culture of Wellness and the host of the 6th Pillar Podcast. He is a POST-Wellness Instructor and was named Public Safety Hero of the Year by the House of Representatives in 2020. His innovative work as a law enforcement leader has been featured in several national Police magazines. He is a graduate of the prestigious Northwestern School of Police Staff Command, where he was the president of the class and the recipient of the Franklin M. Kremel Award for excellence in the field of leadership.

Speaker

**Allison Uribe - Wives on Duty Ministries**
Allison is a chaplain, conference and retreat speaker and author. In 2008, she and her husband, an Antonio, TX Police Officer, founded Wives on Duty Ministries with a mission to support, encourage, and inspire spouses of First Responder's through God's word. Today Allison is Lead Community Chaplain through Assemblies of God Chaplaincy Ministries and an ordained minister. She has written 2 books to First Responder spouses, "Because I'm Suitable- The Journey of a Wife on Duty" (revised version is now available), "Cuffs and Coffee: A devotional for wives of America's Law Enforcement Officers."

Entertainment

Vinnie Montez - Commander, Boulder Colorado Sheriff / Comedian
Vinnie Montez is a Colorado native, he grew up in the largely homogenous community of Boulder, CO, which prides itself on being a bastion of cultural diversity, but which is honestly just weird. Growing up, he always wanted to be a police officer. Now a 24-year veteran of law enforcement, his experiences as a cop and his Mexican heritage are the foundation for his comedy: you just can’t make some of this stuff up.

Vinnie got into comedy in 2007 as a means of addressing the stress and trauma of dealing with horrible situations on a regular basis. Since then he has performed regularly at Denver’s Comedy Works and other national venues. His first comedy special debut was on Dry Bar Comedy, released in 2019, Vinnie Montez: Armed & Hilarious. With a focus on telling funny stories about being a police officer and promoting better mental health for the men and women in blue, he is a favorite at events around the nation.

Vinnie has shared the stage with Michelle Wolf, Chris D’Elia, Joe Rogan, John Crist, Josh Blue, Paul Rodriguez, Gilbert Gottfried, Nick Guerra, Brian Posehn, Gina Brillon, Joey Medina, Caroline Rhea, Bob Marley and more.

In 2018 Vinnie was inducted as an official member of Humanizing the Badge (HTB), an organization on a mission to help forge stronger relationships between law enforcement officers and the communities they serve.

Vinnie has become a favorite among law enforcement and corporate audiences alike, performing for the Colorado Fraternal Order of Police, Colorado Association of School Resource Officers, Rocky Mountain Hostage Negotiators, International Association of Financial Crimes Investigators, County Sheriffs of Colorado, Law Enforcement Explorer Post Advisors Association of Colorado, National Latino Peace Officers Association, University of Wyoming, Humanize the Badge, KYGO’s Christmas Crusade for Children, Hallie’s Heroes and many more.

Snacks and beverages provided.

Speaker - "Post-Retreat Planning - Living Relentlessly"

Stan Partlow - Retired Commander Columbus Police Dept. Special Agent FBI & Vice President & Chief Security Officer - American Electric Power

Stan Partlow joined AEP in October 2005. Stan recently retired as the Vice President and Chief Security Officer and had responsibility for Cyber Security, Physical Security and Aviation. During his AEP career, Stan has also had responsibility for the AEP motor vehicle fleet, the enterprise procurement function and business continuity.

Prior to joining AEP, Stan served the Law Enforcement community for over 25 years. Stan served the Columbus Division of Police for over 21 years and retired as the Commander of the Detective Bureau. Prior to that Stan served in numerous roles in Patrol, Narcotics, Professional Standards and Training during his tenure as an Officer, Sergeant and Lieutenant.

Stan served as a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation from 1984-1988 where he was responsible for conducting a variety of criminal investigations. In his law enforcement career, Stan has supervised dignitary protection details, and has been a member of the protection staff of two Columbus Mayors. He has been a SWAT team member for the Charlotte Division FBI Team, and a member of the Columbus Division of Police Underwater Search and Recovery Team. Stan also served as a Hostage Negotiator for the Columbus Division of Police.

Stan is a graduate of the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command and the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police Executive Leadership College. Stan holds the designation of Certified Law Enforcement Executive from the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police. Stan completed the FBI Domestic Security Executive Academy. Stan earned the Certified Protection Professional certification from ASIS, a worldwide security organization. Stan completed the AEP/OSU Leadership Program and the Executive Level Targeted Development program.

Stan holds a Juris Doctor degree from the Capital University School of Law (1995), a Master of Science degree in Administration from Central Michigan University (1990), and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Bowling Green State University (1980).

Stan is a member of the Board of Trustees of Franklin University and he serves on the Board of Directors of The Center for Family Safety and Healing. Stan is a founder of the Columbus Police Foundation and serves on the Board of Directors for First Responders' Bridge an organization dedicated to mental healing for first responders.