John is a Rescue Division Paramedic Crew Chief with the City of Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety, Bureau of EMS assigned to Rescue 2.  He also works on the City of Pittsburgh’s River Rescue Unit as a Public Safety Diver and is the Lead Water Rescue, Dive Rescue Specialist Instructor for the Bureau. He serves as a Corporate Trainer for Dive Rescue International and is a Swift Water Rescue Instructor for the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.   He also serves as a Rescue Team Manager for the Pennsylvania Urban Search and Rescue Strike Team 1 and is a Helicopter Rescue Technician with the Pennsylvania Helicopter Aquatics Rescue Team (PA HART).

Ryan has been involved in the water rescue and the emergency services world for the past 16 years. He is the Boating & Watercraft Safety Manager and Boating Accident Review Officer with the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission (PFBC). Ryan serves as the Program Manager for the PFBC Water Rescue Program and volunteers part-time for the Commission as a Deputy Waterways Conservation Officer. In addition, Ryan currently serves in the 193rd Special Operations Medical Group as a Search & Extraction Medic. Ryan obtained a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Recreation, Parks and Tourism Management and a minor in Wildlife and Fisheries Science from Penn State University and a Nursing degree through the Air Force. He teaches local, state and federal Water Rescue Programs throughout the country and has been deployed on numerous Federal, In-State and regional responses. Ryan played a critical role in developing the Pennsylvania Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team and received a heroism and program development award from Higgins and Langley, as well as the Governors Innovation Award. Ryan continues to remain active in the technical rescue and boating safety world.

Chris Calhoun is a professor and coordinator of the Park and Recreation Management program at Butler County Community College in Butler, PA. He holds a master’s degree from Slippery Rock University in Park and Recreation Administration. Chris is the lead water rescue instructor trainer for the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission and coordinates and writes the curriculum for Pennsylvania’s Water Rescue Program. He is a rescue technician on the Pennsylvania Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team (PA-HART) and Butler County Water Rescue Team 300. Chris has received the Higgins and Langley Swiftwater Rescue Program Development Award in 2004 and 2014, the Governors Innovator Award in 2014, and the Regional and Appreciation Awards from the National Water Safety Congress for contributions to water safety and drowning prevention programs.