Our Team
Combat Ready Fire Training
Experience-based training for the fireground
At Combat Ready Fire, our core beliefs about readiness, excellence and our duty to others are the foundation of all of our training programs. These core beliefs and concepts are consistent through the different disciplines covered through all of our training programs.
We believe strongly in providing real world, street smart, actionable skills that are rooted in actual fireground experience. Our instructors come from busy, respected departments where they have gained experience and where they do the same things on fires that they teach in classes.
Nick has been in the fire service since 1994 and is presently the Chief of Operations for a fire department in North Carolina. He previously served as the Chief of Training for the City for Columbia (SC) Fire Department and as Lieutenant with the District of Columbia Fire Department. He has been a long time member of the Kentland Volunteer Fire Department in Prince George’s County, MD.
Nick has a BS in fire science from the University of Maryland and a MS in public safety leadership from the Johns Hopkins University. He has presented across North America for over 20 years - speaking on hands-on and seminar topics including firefighting operations, strategy and tactics, incident command, and leadership.
Nick is also the president and founder of Combat Ready Fire Training whose mission is to share a duty-first “Combat Ready” mentality and real-world fireground proven skills and tactics that are accessible to all firefighters to help further their mission of saving lives and property.
Our Instructors
Floyd Wise
Instructor
Floyd is currently the Deputy Chief of Training for the Harrisburg Bureau of Fire after 11 years of being a Battalion commander (23 total years in this department). While working on the completion of his Master's Degree in Public Administration and also through the EFO process, he is still 100% firefighter at heart and believes in quality and realistic training. Floyd also has 18 years with Pennsylvania Task Force I USAR, Pennsylvania State Fire Academy adjunct for fire, rescue, and officer development programs.
Kevin Burges
Instructor
Kevin has been a career fireman for 13 years working his way through to ranks. He has been captain for the past seven years. He currently works for Salisbury Fire Department on Ladder 1 where he is the training officer on B shift and an acting Battalion Chief. He also served as the Interim Battalion Chief from January - July 2020. Kevin loves to share his experience and knowledge with others. He has worked diligently with Combat Ready Fire for the past two years.
Frank Malta
Instructor
Frank started in the Fire Department in 2001 as a volunteer at the United Fire Company in Frederick, MD. He was fortunate enough to get hired as a career firefighter right out of high school with the Frederick County Division of Fire & Rescue Services, where he has worked for the past 19 years. Frank has served in numerous capacities within the organization with the most noteworthy being as a Lieutenant on Rescue Squad 3 and the Captain of Engine Company 2. He is currently assigned to their Training Academy as the Battalion Chief of Training.
Christian Lambis
Instructor
Christian started his career in 2018 and is currently an Engineer on the Rescue Company for the City of Salisbury, NC. He is passionate about search and all things truck work. This is his second year as a dedicated member of Combat Ready Firefighting team.
Jake Richardson
Instructor
Jake is an engineer on Ladder company 1 "B shift" for the city of Salisbury NC. He is also an acting officer for the SFD. Jake started in the fire service in 2014, in a small rural county department. Along with being a full time firefighter for the city of Salisbury, he is still an active member at this rural department. “With both of these departments being totally opposite geographic locations, I get to experience the different challenges both bring on the fire-ground. I am a young body with an old soul, who loves nothing more than a good challenging fire.”
Spencer White
Instructor
Spencer is the Captain of Engine 3 for the City of Salisbury, NC. He started his career in 2012 and has a passion for all things engine company.
Bill Cunningham
Instructor
With 15 years in the Fire Service, Bill emphasizes his personal style during his teachings. However, he recommends that his students adopt a style that works best for them, encouraging a hybrid approach to incorporate his style into their everyday routines. Bill started his passion for the Fire Service in 2008, obtaining a degree in Fire Science and is currently Captain of Tower Ladder 9 for the City Of Columbia, South Carolina.
Tim McCloskey
Instructor
Currently, Tim is a Firefighter/EMT with Horry County Fire Rescue in South Carolina where he lives with his wife, two kids, and pups. He started in the fire service in May 2001 in the suburbs of Philadelphia, PA. In 2006, he moved to Prince George’s County, MD as a live-in fireman at Kentland Vol. Fire Department where he rose through the ranks to Lieutenant. During this time, he received multiple Medals of Valor for actions taken on fire grounds. In 2015, he became a career fireman in the Grand Strand region of South Carolina. Tim is currently working towards an Associate of Science in Fire Science degree to be completed in January 2024. Being a member of multiple departments up and down the east coast has allowed him to learn from a wide range of respectable firemen. He aims to instill the confidence and knowledge gained from his experiences into others each and every day. “My goal will always be to ensure that with every encounter I have, I walk away learning something new while teaching others something as well."
Sean Donovan
Instructor
Sean began in the fire service volunteering at his local fire department in a small town in Frederick County, Maryland in 2000. He was hired by the Division of Fire and Rescue Services in Frederick County, MD in 2004. He has promoted through the ranks of Technician, Lieutenant and is now a Captain assigned to Frederick County's Headquarters. He serves on several committees and is an academy fire instructor.
Blake Cartee
Instructor
Captain - Ladder Company 7, Columbia (SC) Fire Department.
Chris Ford
Instructor
Captain - Ladder Company 7, Columbia (SC) Fire Department.
Mitch Clark
Director of Operations
Mitch moved from Australia to the United States in 2016. He currently serves as the Public Information Officer for Fairfax County Fire and Rescue, VA, and sits on the Technology Council for the International Association of Fire Chiefs. He is also a Volunteer Firefighter in Stafford County, VA.
Drew Evans
Instructor
Drew is currently a Technician with Truck Company 16 DCFD, where he has served since 2012. Drew started in the fire service in upstate NY before working for Fairmount Volunteer Fire Department in 2007. He has also been a committed volunteer with Kentland VFD since 2009.
Donnie Wedding
Donnie was a third generation firefighter with 29 years of experience and a Master Technician with the City of Fredericksburg, VA. He was an immensely talented artist, musician, and made an impact on everyone he met. No one will ever fill his boots, and he will be forever remembered, missed and loved by us and all who knew him.