FDIC 2025: Honoring Fire Service Excellence, Unveiling TargetSolutions Innovation, and Exploring the Top 5 Themes

FDIC International is the largest and most influential annual fire and rescue conference and trade show in North America. This year’s conference brought in over 37,000 industry professionals from around the world to the Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium to participate in meaningful hands-on training, attend impactful classroom sessions, hear motivating presentations, and engage with hundreds of exhibitors.

Vector Solutions is proud to participate as a sponsor and exhibitor at FDIC, supporting its mission to bring the fire service together to learn and share with peers, make life-long connections, and reinvigorate the passion for the industry.

Celebrating Fire Service Professionals

During a special offsite happy hour event, The Fiesta at FDIC, hosted by Vector Solutions, more than 120 fire and rescue professionals gathered to commune with old friends, make new connections, and enjoy their fill of good food and drinks.

Vector Solutions was honored to recognize two distinguished professionals at the event with unique awards for operational and training readiness.

These gentlemen, who partner with Vector to support their organizations with purpose-built solutions, were also recognized for their ability to think outside the box to problem solve and achieve their department’s goals.

Division Chief of Planning Mark Sutphin at Westfield (IN) Fire Department, was presented with the inaugural Vector Solutions Operational Readiness Achievement Award for his contributions to his organization.

Westfield, a northern suburb of Indianapolis, is experiencing substantial population growth. This has led to organizational expansion and the addition of multiple stations. To address the unique challenges these changes bring, Division Chief Sutphin leverages a holistic approach based on the need for staffing, resources, and assets.

“I’m truly honored to receive the inaugural Operational Readiness Achievement Award from Vector Solutions. Thank you, Matt, and the entire team for this incredible recognition,” shared Division Chief Sutphin. “Operational readiness is never a one-person effort—it’s the result of collaboration, trust, and a shared commitment to excellence. I’m grateful to the Westfield Fire Department, especially our leadership and crews, for embracing innovation and constantly striving to serve our community better.”

He emphasized how this award is not only a testament to his dedication to the fire service, but the commitment of every person on his team.

“This award reflects the hard work we all do every day to stay prepared, stay sharp, and stay mission focused. I’m proud to be part of this profession and excited for what the future holds. Thank you,” he said.

Westfield Fire leverages multiple Vector Solutions products to streamline operations, including TargetSolutions for training management and its integrated live skill assessment mobile app, Vector Evaluations+, Vector Check it for asset management, and Vector Scheduling to simplify staffing.

Congratulations to Division Chief Sutphin for this well-deserved recognition and unwavering devotion to the preparedness of his organization in the face of rapid change.

Commander Patrick Jesse of the Chicago Fire Department, was recognized with the first Vector Solutions Training Management Excellence Award.

Vector commends Commander Jesse for his forward-thinking and innovative approach to training. By leveraging technology, he has transformed a manual, pen-and-paper process into a streamlined system. In partnership with Vector Solutions, he enhanced training management and expanded training delivery to an incredibly capacity, leveraging TargetSolutions to simplify the highly complex operations of one of the nation’s largest fire departments.

“Vector gives us the opportunity to organize the complexities of a very large organization. Through its intuitive interface and easy-to-use platform, we’ve had high success in teaching in various ways, including training and evaluations, to build better firefighters and paramedics for the city of Chicago,” Commander Jesse remarked.

“I am very appreciative of Vector for recognizing clients for their achievements,” Commander Jesse continued, referencing the value of partnering with a training management provider trusted by more than 5,000 fire departments. “I’m aware Vector has many clients, and we greatly appreciate their partnership.”

Vector Solutions is grateful to be entrusted by Chicago Fire to support its training goals and organizational mission for excellence. Commendations to Commander Jesse for achieving this rightfully earned award.

Vector would like to thank Division Chief Sutphin and Commander Jesse and their families for attending this year’s special event and gracefully accepting the inaugural awards for Organizational Readiness and Training Excellence.

Vector Solutions Raises the Bar on Training Management

TargetSolutions has been trusted for 25 years to elevate training management for thousands of fire departments and public safety organizations.

Our best-in-class software provides comprehensive, powerful training management capabilities that meet the needs of both simple and complex fire service operations.

Several updates were showcased during FDIC which enhance the user experience with a sleek, clean and user-tested design that empowers users to easily complete tasks faster on any device.

Additional updates coming this summer and beyond will bring enhanced efficiency, making it easier than ever for users to find and manage training assignments with a dynamic, interactive training schedule along with more updates to boost workflow management and advance customizations.

TargetSolutions is much more than your standard LMS. See for yourself how this trusted, user-friendly platform is leading the way in training management innovation to keep your crews safe, prepared, and compliant.

FDIC Top 5 Themes Addressing Challenges and Advances in the Fire Service

FDIC International 2025 was the most attended FDIC event yet, reaching a record-breaking number of fire and rescue personnel.

With a full week of activities and events, there was no shortage of topics covered this year to strengthen fire and EMS professionals’ resilience, reignite passion, and fortify preparedness.

Some of the top themes featured at this year’s invigorating conference and trade show included:

1. Leadership and Management: Sessions like “Tightrope: Mastering the Art of Efficient and Effective Leadership” and “Boss Series: Management vs Leadership” focused on developing leadership skills and understanding the nuances between management and leadership roles within the fire service.
2. Fireground Operations and Tactics: Workshops such as “High-Rise Fire Operations” and “The Tactical Advantage: Understanding the Residential Fireground” dove into strategies and tactics for effective fireground operations in various scenarios.
3. Health, Wellness, and Safety: The LOS Connector Hallway and Lucas Oil Stadium featured dozens of vendors and interactive activities shining a much-needed light on the importance of mental and physical health in the fire service. Additionally, classroom sessions like “Harnessing Data and Technology for Enhanced Firefighter Wellness Programs” and “11 Steps to Creating a Culture of Firefighter Fitness and Wellness” emphasized the importance of firefighter health and wellness.
4. Training and Professional Development: Session such as “Training Officer and Instructor Graduate School 2025: Company Level Training Programs” and “Real-life Training for Real-Life Tactics” highlighted the importance of continuous training and skill enhancement.
5. Technology and Data Utilization: Discussions on “Data-Driven Decision Making: Leveraging Technology for Smarter Fireground Operations” and “Operationalizing Data in the Fire Service” explored how leveraging technology and data-driven decision-making can bolster efficiency and elevate firefighting operations.

This year’s FDIC was an exciting whirlwind that invigorated all who attended. We can’t wait for next year!

Request a demo to see how Vector Solutions can help you take personnel operational readiness at your organization to the next level.