Meet Our Team
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In August 1997, a truss roof collapsed on Wendy Norris, causing a severe head injury and respiratory and facial burns when a falling beam knocked off her facemask. Wendy currently serves as a chaplain for the Forest Bend Vol. Fire Department. She serves as the Presiding Officer on the Governor’s Advisory Panel for the Star of Texas Awards. She is also the Director for the Texas LODD Task Force/NFFF LAST Team, an administrator and instructor for the Federation of Fire Chaplains, a guest instructor for the Texas A&M TEEX fire schools, and a peer advisor for the SOAR program of the Phoenix Burn Society. She has worked on response teams for local, state and national disasters including: 9/11 and hurricanes Katrina and Ike. Previously, Wendy worked as an industrial firefighter in Antioch, California and in Houston, Texas until she was injured in a structure fire in 1997. She also served as a volunteer firefighter. Wendy received her fire, rescue, EMS, and instructor training at Solano College in Fairfield, California, and Texas A&M in College Station, Texas. |
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Billy Wusterhausen has been a member of the LODD Task Force since 2002. He is a currently the Fire Marshal for the Round Rock Fire Department. His area of expertise is in fire service funeral arrangements, honor guards, management. |
Levi Clemens |
Levi has worked in the fire service since 1996 and is currently employed by Mansfield Fire Rescue. He has always had an interest in teaching and began serving as an instructor with Navarro Community College, Methodist Hospital and Weatherford College for EMS classes shortly after obtaining his EMTP in 1997. Levi is also very involved in his department’s Continuing Education for fire personnel. In 2007, he was promoted to Lieutenant and currently serves in that role on shift. Levi is the Vice Commander and a founding member of the Mansfield Fire Rescue Honor Guard, which was established in 2005. When Levi is not on shift or working with his Honor Guard, he works part-time in the hospital, has a pool business and is serving his fourth year as President with his Professional Firefighters Association. Most recently, Levi is a National Honor Guard Academy graduate (2006) and helped to host an Academy in Texas (2007). Brotherhood and duty to the brotherhood are paramount to Levi. |
Jim Byer |
Jim is a firefighter with the Lewisville Fire Department and is also the commander for the Lewisville Fire Department Honor Guard. |
Chief Rick Lasky |
Rick Lasky, a 30-year veteran of the fire service, is chief of the Lewisville (TX) Fire Department. Rick began his career as a firefighter in the suburbs on the southwest side of Chicago and while in Illinois received the 1996 International Society of Fire Service Instructors “Innovator of the Year” award for his part in developing the “Saving Our Own” program. He served as the co-lead instructor for the H.O.T. Firefighter Survival program at FDIC for over 10 years and is an editorial advisory board member of Fire Engineering Magazine and also serves on the FDIC advisory board. Rick contributes monthly to Fire Engineering’s Roundtable column, is the author of both the “Pride and Ownership-A Firefighter’s Love of the Job” leadership series featured in Fire Engineering Magazine and the book published by PennWell Books, as well as the host for the radio show “Pride and Ownership” heard on Fire Engineering Radio |
Task Force Advisory Committee
Chris Barron- Executive Director, State Firemen's and Fire Marshal's Association; Chief Machaca Fire & Rescue(Region 4 Commander- Officers Division)
Will Collier
J.D. Gardner- Fire Chief, Killeen Fire Department; VP, Texas Fire Chiefs Association; Southwestern Division International Director, International Association of Fire Chiefs
Dennis Gifford- Fire Chief, Lumberton Fire Department, SFFMA
Bobby Halton- Editor in Chief, Fire Engineering
Ben Kennedy- Chaplain, SFFMA;
Associate Training Specialist, TEEX
Kieth Kiplinger- Fire Chief, Nacogdoches Fire Department
Danny Kistner- Assistant Chief/Fire Marshal, Garland Fire Department; At Large Director, International Association of Fire Chiefs- Safety, Health & Survival Section
Keith Smith- Captain, Euless Fire Department
Ed Stauffer-Executive Director, Federation of Fire Chaplains
Members
Cynthia Nicklas -Survivor
John Collier- Survivor
Cindy Burke- Survivor
Tracey Bales- Survivor
Rosco Thomas- Midland Fire Department (Region 1 Honor Guard Commander)
John Adams- Coppell Fire Department (Region 2 & 3 Honor Guard Commander)
Roger Hogle- Irving Fire Department (Region 2 & 3 Honor Guard Commander)
Craig Krienke- Georgetown Fire Department (Region 4 Honor Guard Commander)
Tony Cruz- Nacogdoches Fire Department (Region 5 Honor Guard Commander)
Ronnie Dill- Seguine Fire Department (Region 6 Honor Guard Commander)
Damion Roberts- Lewisville Fire Department, (Regions 2& 3) Pipe Major
Joe Florentino- Chief, Little Elm Fire Department (Region 2 Commander- Officers Division)
John Babler- Federation of Fire Chaplains
John P. Norris- Captain, Houston Fire Department
Joann Linnenkugel- Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department
Thomas Hart - Retired Firefighter, Detroit Fire Department, Fire Chaplain, Cut-N-Shoot Vol. Fire Department
Rebecca Marlow - Auxiallary, Scenic Loop Fire Department; Department Survivor
Jimmie Duncan - Irving Fire Department
Sean Fay- Rowlett Fire Department
Hugh Harris- Irving Fire Department
Tim Russell- Coppell
Fire Department
Vernon Gilmore- Euless Fire Department
Chris Ensley- Rowlett Fire Department
Fallen Heroes Memorial Ride & Cook-Off Committee Members
Event Chair- Wendy C. Norris, Director of Texas Line of Duty Death Task Force
Honorary Chair- The Mathew Family, Survivor
Location/Entertainment- Mark & Nancy Turvey, League City Volunteer Fire Department
Ride- Craig Crawford, Forest Bend Fire Department &
Fred Garner
Cook-Off- John Norris, Houston Fire Department
Memorial- JoAnn Linnenkugel, Cy-Fair Fire Department
Fundraising/Sponsorship- John Norris, Houston Fire Department
Administration- Tammy Hoff
Other Team Members- Peter Nyquist, League City Volunteer Fire Department
Ken Crabtree, Friendswood Fire Department
Tommy McDonald, Friendswood Fire Department