Why Us
Our passion is helping individuals and organizations grow and succeed!
Today, there is a fire service leadership pandemic sweeping America! Experienced fire officers are leaving at a growing rate, causing a vacuum in experience, expertise, and leadership. The fire service needs fire officers who can make a difference, and we can help! Emergency operations, leadership, risk management and strategic planning are all skills required of officers and fire departments. Whether you are an aspiring individual, or an organization trying to bridge the gap, we specialize in training tomorrow’s best fire service leaders and officers.
FDIC Keynote
Chief Anthony Kastros is an FDIC-International and Firehouse World instructor, and was the Keynote Speaker at FDIC 2013. Anthony hosts The Command Show, a monthly blog radio show through Fire Engineering. Kastros teaches leadership/team building and strategy/tactics to firefighters throughout the United States. He has taught thousands of firefighters in leadership, officer development, command and tactics throughout America.
Why is our work so important?
Today, there is a fire service leadership pandemic sweeping America! Experienced fire officers are leaving at a growing rate, causing a vacuum in experience, expertise, and leadership. The fire service needs fire officers who can make a difference, and we can help! Emergency operations, leadership, risk management and strategic planning are all skills required of officers and fire departments. Whether you are an aspiring individual, or an organization trying to bridge the gap, we specialize in training tomorrow’s best fire service leaders and officers.
George D. Post
Instructor of the Year
Award
Anthony Kastros is the recipient of the 2019 International Society of Fire Service Instructors (ISFSI) George D. Post Instructor of the Year. The George D. Post Instructor of the Year Award recognizes individuals for extraordinary accomplishments in fire service training. Winners of the award are recognized on the main stage during FDIC in April, held in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Individuals who are selected for this prestigious award have:
- Advanced the cause of firefighter operational effectiveness and safety;
- Gone above and beyond the call of duty in training;
- Brought creativity and innovation to fire training programs, or will have shown great persistence in pursuing an innovative program; and
- Served as a positive role model for other fire instructors and firefighters throughout the county.
Top Qualifications
- Battalion Chief Anthony Kastros and his team of highly experienced, inspiring and respected instructors share a passion to develop outstanding fire officers who are ready to meet modern-day challenges. Chief Anthony (Andoni) Kastros is a 33-year veteran of the fire service and Battalion Chief with Sacramento Metro Fire District (ret). He brings a wide variety of experiences, a high level of energy and a sincere passion to his instruction.
- Chief Kastros literally “wrote the book” on assessment centers. He is author of the Fire Engineering book and video series, Mastering the Fire Service Assessment Center – 2nd Edition. The curriculum covers an extremely comprehensive scope of the knowledge, skills and abilities that span the dimensions of leadership, management, and emergency operations. It is used widely throughout the United States for officer development.
- Also from Fire Engineering, Anthony authors the 3-part DVD series Mastering Fireground Command – Calm the Chaos! This series focuses on fireground strategy, tactics, and ICS using actual incidents, video and simulations. The series covers fires in houses, multi-occupancies, apartments and commercial buildings.
- In addition, Kastros authored the video series, Mastering Unified Command – From Hometown to Homeland. The video is focused on bridging the gap between fire and law for a true unified response and command platform to face the “New Normal” that is prevalent in America today. The video features many experts from around the United States, including former Secretary of Defense and CIA Director Leon Panetta. Kastros is donating all proceeds from this video to fallen fire, police and military organizations.
- Kastros is an FDIC-International and Firehouse World instructor, and was the Keynote Speaker at FDIC 2013 and is the recipient of the 2019 George D. Post Instructor of the Year Award from the International Society of Fire Service Instructors and Fire Engineering. Anthony hosts The Command Show, a monthly blog radio show through Fire Engineering. Kastros teaches leadership/team building and strategy/tactics to firefighters throughout the United States.
- As a USAR Team Manager with Sacramento Task Force 7, he deployed to Ground Zero on 9/11. Anthony spent 4 years with a Type 1 Incident Management Team, was the program manager for Metro Fire’s Command Training Center and began Metro Fire’s Rescue Company program. Anthony holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business and Human Resource Management, an Associate’s of Science in Fire Technology, and is a certified Fire Officer for California.
- Cynthia Kastros is the Operations Manager for FIRE. She is responsible for strategic planning, new program development, business modeling, and operations. She has an extensive recruitment background in the private sector and owned an executive recruitment firm in southern California. She transitioned to the public sector, where she held a position for the California Office of Education, recruiting teachers. Cynthia holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Health and Human Services, focusing on family and child development.
- Anthony and Cynthia Kastros make their home in Carmel, California with their daughters Sophia and Aubrey. Their Faith in God is the center of their lives and drives their instruction and ministry.
Testimonials
Organizations Served
Alaska
Alaska Fire Conference
Anchorage, Alaska FD
Central Mat-Su FD
California
Alameda County FD
American Canyon FD
American Canyon FDP
American River College
Anaheim FD – North Net Training Center
Bay Area (CA) UASI
Benicia FD
Berkeley FD
Cal Fire (California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection)
California Fire & Rescue Training Authority
California Fire Chiefs Association – Operations Section
California Fire Training Officers’ Symposium (Fresno)
Carmel FD
Carmel Highlands FPD
Carmel Valley FD
Central Merin FD
Compton FD
Contra Costa County Fire
Contra Costa County Training Officers
Cypress FPD
Davis City FD
Diamond Springs/El Dorado FD
Dixon
East Contra Costa County
El Dorado Hills FD
Fairfield FD
Firehouse World San Diego
FireNuggets.com
Folsom FD
Fresno FD
Hollister FD
Humboldt Bay FD
Kern County FD
Lodi FD
Los Angeles City FD
Marina FD
Merced FD
Milpitas FD
Monterey County Regional Fire District
Monterey County Training Officers’ Association
Monterey FD
Monterey Peninsula College
Mountain View FD
Newport Beach FD
Northern California Regional Public Safety Training Authority
Oakland FD
Oceanside FD
Pacific Grove FD
Palo Alto FD
Paso Robles FD
Pebble Beach FPD
Petaluma FD
Rancho Cucamonga FD
Red Helmet Training – Rancho Cucamonga
Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety
Roseville FD
Sacramento City FD
Sacramento Metropolitan FD
Sacramento UASI
Salinas FD
San Diego County UASI
San Francisco Paramedic Association
San Jose FD
San Rafael FD
San Ramon Valley Fire
Santa Ana College
Santa Clara City FD
Santa Clara County Training Officers
Santa Clara County UASI
Santa Monica FD
Santa Rosa FD
Sierra College
Sierra College Regional Fire Academy
Solano County
Southern Marin Fire District
South Placer Fire District
Stockton FD
Suisan City FD
Sunnyvale DPS
Turlock FD
UC Santa Cruz FD
Vacaville FD
Vallejo FD
Colorado
Arapahoe County UASI
Foothills FD
Northern Colorado Training Consortium
Pike’s Peak Community College, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Poudre Fire Authority, Colorado
South Metro Fire, Colorado
West Metro Fire, Colorado
Connecticut
Danbury, Connecticut FD
Delaware
Delaware State Fire College
Florida
Broward County, FL
Miami City Fire Rescue
North Collier FD
Pinellas County Training Officers, Florida
South Trail Fire Rescue
Georgia
Covington GA FD
Forsyth County GA FD
Sandy Springs FD
Idaho
North Idaho Fire Chiefs’ Association
Illinois
Algonquin Lake in the Hills FD
Carol Stream, Illinois FPD
Fire Training Resources, Illinois
Huntley FD
Illinois Fire Chiefs Association
Indiana
Columbus FD
FDIC, Indianapolis (Fire Department Instructors’ Conference)
Lawrence, IN FD
Iowa
Council Bluffs, IO
Iowa State Fire School
Louisiana
Louisiana State University
Minnesota
Maplewood MN FD
Minnesota State Fire Chiefs
Saint Paul MN FD
Roseville FD
Missouri
Florissant Valley Fire District – St. Louis, MO
Muddy River FOOLS
Montana
Billings FD
Nebraska
Lincoln, NB FD
Omaha, NB FD
North Carolina
Kannapolis FD
North Dakota
North Dakota Firefighters’ Association
New Mexico
San Juan County Fire, New Mexico
Nevada
Carson City
Clark County, Las Vegas, Nevada FD
Elko FD
Fire Shows West
Reno Fire Department, Nevada
New York
Clarence/Newstead Fire Chiefs’ Association – Amherst, New York
Oklahoma
Green Valley Fire Chiefs Association
International Association of Fire Chiefs
Midwest City FD
Oklahoma City FD
Oregon
Northwest Oregon Association of Fire Service Trainers
Portland Fire & Rescue, OR
Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue, OR
Pennsylvania
Forks Township, PA FD
South Carolina
York County Fire Agencies
Texas
Dallas, TX Fire/Rescue
Denton FD
Fort Bend County EMS
Houston FD
McQueeney TX FD
Missouri City
Waco Texas FD
Utah
Salt Lake Valley Fire Alliance
Utah Local Governments Trust
Washington
Anacortes
Bellevue FD
Eastside Fire & Rescue, WA
Gig Harbor, Washington FD
Kent, Washington FD
Mercer Island FD
North King County
North Kitsap Fire
Port Angeles
Puget Sound Fire Authority, WA
Redmond FD
Riverside Fire & Rescue, Centralia, WA
Seatac, Washington FD
Seattle FD, WA
South County
South King County
Spokane, WA FD
Spokane Valley, WA FD
Tacoma, WA Firefighters, Local 31
Wisconsin
Appleton, WI
La Crosse FD
Wisconsin EMS Association
