2027 Schedule at a Glance

DAY & TIME SESSION/EVENT
FRIDAY SYMPOSIUM TRAINING ACADEMY
8:00am - 6:00pm L580 Gettysburg Staff Ride (off-site)
8:00am - 6:00pm NWCG S-203 | Intro to Incident Information
8:00am - 6:00pm USFA O-305 | Type 3 AHIMT Training (max: 20)
8:00am - 6:00pm E/L-449 | ICS Train-the-Trainer
 
SATURDAY SYMPOSIUM TRAINING ACADEMY
8:00am - 6:00pm L580 Gettysburg Staff Ride (off-site)
8:00am - 6:00pm NWCG S-203 | Intro to Incident Information
8:00am - 6:00pm USFA O-305 | Type 3 AHIMT Training (max: 20)
8:00am - 6:00pm E/L-449 | ICS Train-the-Trainer
8:00am - 6:00pmE/L/G 0956 | AHPS Liaison Officer (LOFR)
 
SUNDAY SYMPOSIUM TRAINING ACADEMY
8:00am - 6:00pm L580 Gettysburg Staff Ride (off-site)
8:00am - 6:00pm NWCG S-203 | Intro to Incident Information
8:00am - 6:00pm USFA O-305 | Type 3 AHIMT Training (max: 20)
8:00am - 6:00pm E/L-449 | ICS Train-the-Trainer
8:00am - 6:00pmE/L/G 0956 | AHPS Liaison Officer (LOFR)
 
MONDAY SYMPOSIUM TRAINING ACADEMY
8:00am - 6:00pm L580 Gettysburg Staff Ride (off-site)
8:00am - 6:00pm NWCG S-203 | Intro to Incident Information
8:00am - 6:00pm USFA O-305 | Type 3 AHIMT Training (max: 20)
8:00am - 6:00pm E/L-449 | ICS Train-the-Trainer
8:00am - 6:00pm E/L/G 0956 | AHPS Liaison Officer (LOFR)
 
5:00pm-6:30pm New Member & 1st Timers Reception
 
TUESDAY FULL DAY CONFERENCE
7:15am - 8:15am Coffee/Breakfast
7:15am - 8:15am IMTA Committee Meetings
8:15am - 9:00am Opening Speaker & Welcome Ceremonies
  • Dr. Randal Collins, CEM, IMTA President
  • Derry Township Police Chief
  • Hershey Fire Department Fire Chief
  • PEMA Director
  • PA State Police Deputy Commissioners
  • DCNR Representative
9:00am - 10:00am National Agency Updates
10:00am-10:30am Break with Exhibitors & Sponsor Showcase
10:30am - 11:30am Breakout Sessions
  • From Gut Feel to Ground Truth-How Team Rubicon uses data to make better disaster response decisions, and what Incident Management Teams can borrow from that approach; Traci Rankin
  • Area Command - Dodo Bird or Phoenix?; Daryl Louder
  • Integrating Tactical Air Operations into the Incident Management Team: The Role of the Tactical Air Operations Officer and Air Operations Branch Director; Dr Edward C. Wolff, CEM
  • Results of the 2026 Nationwide IMT Preparedness Exercise; Gordy Sachs
  • Less Over More: Leadership Strategies for Sustainable Success; Tony Caliendo
11:30am - 1:15pm IMTA Annual Meeting of the Members, State of the Association & Awards Lunch
1:30pm - 2:30pm Breakout Sessions
  • Many Agencies, One Voice: Rethinking the PIO in Disaster Response; Amy Williamson & Jonathan Jones
  • Bridging the Gaps: Advancing ICS Training for Food & Agriculture and All‑Hazards Responders; Elizabeth Zay
  • "Event Within an Incident": Managing Planned Events During Disasters; Michelle Cechowski & Scott Bragunier
  • IMT Support for Active Assailant Response & Law Enforcement ; Andrew Zaccagnini
  • Where to begin? Credentialling for a Whole State; Dustin Heiser & Dr. Charlie Harris
2:30pm-3:00pm Break with Exhibitors & Sponsor Showcase
3:00pm -4:00pm

Breakout Sessions

  • Liaison Officers guide to Facilitating a Cooperators Meeting;  Jeff Galloway
  • Beyond ICS: When Incident Management Meets the Executive Level; Mark Becmer
  • Walking Through the Fire - Every Assignment Changes Us; Chris Saunders
  • When Pressure Changes the Decision: Restoring Leadership Clarity During Prolonged Incidents; Savio P. Clemente
  • When Critical Training Fails: The First Five Minutes That Determine Whether Learning Happens; Antonio Zarzoza
4:15pm - 5:15pm Breakout Sessions
  • From Grass Roots; Chad Roberson
  • Integrating the Texas State Emergency Operations Center, Incident Management Teams, and EOC Support Teams: A Unified Approach to Disaster Response; Jon Reese
  • More to the Big Apple; Ragan Underwood
  • New NASCAR Race in the Middle of Nowhere - From Planning Through Demobilization; Mark Amatrudo
  • Washington IMT Coalition: Statewide Coordination, Qualification, and Capacity Building; John Unfred
5:30pm-10:00pm Welcome Reception with Exhibitors & Cornhole Tournament
 
WEDNESDAY FULL DAY CONFERENCE
8:00am - 9:00am Coffee/Breakfast
8:00am - 9:00am IMTA Committee Meetings
9:00am - 9:15am Daily Ops Briefing
9:15am - 10:15am General Session | From Chaos to Clarity: Transparency as a Leadership Discipline; Kevin Fetterman
10:15 - 10:45am Break with Exhibitors & Sponsor Showcase
10:45am - 11:45pm Breakout Sessions
  • Situational Awareness - Beyond the Sitrep; Gregory Pijar
  • IMT's Supporting Local Governments in Disasters; Chad Roberson
  • From Chaos to Clarity: How Leadership and Real-Time Information Empowers Better Decisions; Kevin Fetterman
  • Responding to the Interface; Joseph (Joe) Quincy Ten Eyck
  • Command and Control for Swiftwater/Flood; David Cruz
11:45am - 1:30pm Lunch & IMTA Region Meetings with Board of Directors
1:30pm  - 4:00 pm Field Trips (Hershey Lodge Safety Tour OR Troegs Brewery Tour)
1:30pm - 2:30pm Breakout Sessions (Repeated Sessions)

  • Integrating the Texas State Emergency Operations Center, Incident Management Teams, and EOC Support Teams: A Unified Approach to Disaster Response; Jon Reese

  • New NASCAR Race in the Middle of Nowhere - From Planning Through Demobilization; Mark Amatrudo
2:30pm - 3:00pm Break with Exhibitors & Sponsor Showcase
3:00pm - 4:00pm Breakout Sessions (Repeated Sessions)
  • One Mission, Many Partners: Telling Your Incident Management Team’s Story; Amy Williamson & Jonathan Jones
  • Results of the 2026 Nationwide IMT Preparedness Exercise; Gordy Sachs
  • Situational Awareness - Beyond the Sitrep; Gregory Pijar
  • When the Work Doesn't Slow Down: Practical Tools for Sustaining Capacity; Jennifer Pearsall
  • Building resilient responders:Strategies (and some tactics) for holistic health optimization for safer responders and workplaces; Camilo Olivieri
4:15pm - 5:15pm General Session | What Hollywood Gets Right (and Wrong) About Incident Management: Lessons from Film, Leadership, and Complex Incidents; Christopher Baldini
7:30 pm to 10:00 pm Social Networking & Trivia Night
 
THURSDAY LAST DAY - CONFERENCE
8:00am - 9:00am Coffee/Breakfast
8:00am - 9:00am IMTA Committee Meetings
9:00am - 9:15am Daily Ops Briefing
9:15am - 10:15am General Session | Leader's Intent - Leveraging Intent to Maximize Team Performance; Jonathan Jones
10:30am - 11:30am Breakout Sessions
  • Working Across Borders ‒ Integrating U.S. All-Hazards IMTs with Foreign IMTs During Wildland Fire Events; Scott Dehnisch
  • One Mission, Many Partners: Telling Your Incident Management Team’s Story; Amy Williamson & Jonathan Jones
  • When the Work Doesn't Slow Down: Practical Tools for Sustaining Capacity; Jennifer Pearsall
  • Demystifying Unified Command for IMTs: The Case Study of a Wildland Urban Interface Fire Where One Community was Destroyed and Another Was Saved; Scott Cowan
  • Agency Specific Training Alignment with FEMA Standardization; Eric Riley & Aaron McClellan
11:45am - 1:00pm Closing Ceremonies & Keynote Lunch with Joshua McGuoirk, Philadelphia Fire Chief

*schedule subject to change


Sponsor Showcase

Our new program will encourage meaningful interaction between attendees and vendors at the 2027 IMTA Symposium, a poker run incentive program will be used. Attendees receive a poker run tally sheet at registration. As they visit vendors and listen to their presentations, they draw a playing card from the vendor’s deck. The vendor stamps the attendee’s tally sheet to record the draw. Participants build the best possible 5-card poker hand from the cards they collect. At the end of the allowed time, the attendee with the highest hand wins.

HOW THE POKER RUN WORKS
1. Each vendor receives a deck of playing cards and a unique stamp.
2. Each attendee receives a poker run tally sheet at registration.
3. Attendees may only receive one stamp per vendor.
4. When visiting a vendor, the attendee listens to the vendor’s pitch and then draws one card from the deck.
5. The vendor stamps the attendee’s tally sheet (recording the card drawn) and returns the card to the deck.
6. Attendees may visit as many vendors as they like. Only their best five cards count toward their final hand.
7. After completing at least five vendor visits, attendees may turn in their tally sheet to be scored.
8. At the conclusion of the week, the attendee with the highest poker hand is declared the winner during the Closing Ceremonies
• In case of a tie, a single-card draw-off will determine the winner.

Cornhole Tournament

The IMTA 2027 Symposium social event on Tuesday during the Welcome Reception with Exhibitors will feature a cornhole tournament.
The tournament will follow a double-elimination bracket format to determine the champions. Casual social play will be available after the tournament. Picnic-style food & drink ticket will be provided, additional beverages available for cash purchase at the bar.

TOURNAMENT FORMAT & RULES
• Registration & Capacity: Free registration (complete interest form on registration site, and on-site team registration will be collected). Maximum 32 teams of 2 players each.
• Bracket Management: The PAIMT tournament organizer will set up the bracket, assign opponents, and assign courts using Challenge.com.
• Game Rules: Games follow American Cornhole Association (ACA) rules. The first team to reach or exceed 21 points wins the game.
• Time Limits: Maximum game length is 30 minutes, except for semi-finals and finals.
• Elimination Format: Double elimination. Casual cornhole play is welcome once teams are eliminated and courts become available.

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