Author and Speaker
Toms River, NJ
Deputy Chief Frank Viscuso (ret.) served more than 26 years as a professional firefighter in New Jersey. He is a columnist for Fire Engineering magazine and the author of eleven leadership books, including Amazon best-sellers Step Up and Lead, Step Up Your Teamwork, Flash Point: Ignite Your Team and Forge a Winning Culture, and Common Valor: True Stories from America's Bravest.
Frank is a highly sought-after, internationally recognized speaker with the ability to move people to action. Over the past two decades, he has presented more than 1,000 seminars to emergency service professionals, sales teams, the U.S. Armed Forces, the healthcare industry, small businesses, and large corporations. His presentations focus on leadership, team building, officer development, and customer service, providing attendees with the skills needed to lead, inspire, and motivate their teams.
Deputy Chief Viscuso was honored as an opening ceremony keynote speaker at FDIC International in 2022. In 2025, the International Society of Fire Service Instructors (ISFSI) selected him as the recipient of the George D. Post Instructor of the Year Award, recognizing extraordinary accomplishments in fire service training.
Throughout his career, he has helped develop promotional exams, written more than 60 Standard Operating Guidelines, secured millions of dollars in grant funding, and developed probationary firefighter, apparatus driver, leadership, and officer development programs.
Based on the content in his best-selling books titled FLASH POINT and 35 Things Every Fire Officer Must Know and Do, Chief Frank Viscuso draws comparisons between the four most common stages of team development and the four stages of fire: Incipient, Growth, Fully Developed, and Decay. He will explain the importance of setting high personal and professional standards that enable individuals to perform at their highest capacity and lead teams in today’s complex world. During this highly motivational presentation, Chief Viscuso will explain why some teams become consumed with drama and conflict while others thrive under pressure. Participants will gain insight into the connection between team development, leadership, and performance, and how these principles can be applied to build stronger, more effective organizations.
