Speakers 2026
Brent VanKeulen, Retired Deputy Chief, Public Safety Consultant
Brent VanKeulen is an emergency services consultant and public safety technologist who spent over 20 years in the fire service, rising through the ranks from Firefighter/Paramedic to Deputy Chief. He has led agency mergers, managed nine-figure budgets, commanded Incident Management Teams, and driven technology initiatives ranging from iOS app development to fleet-wide connectivity. As Deputy Director of the Western Fire Chiefs Association, he built statewide relationships and developed market-facing tools including a GIS wildfire mapping platform. Today he consults at the crossroads of first responder operations and emerging technology, helping people with good ideas bring practical solutions to the people who make a difference.