Deputy Chief
New York City Fire Department
New York, NY
Thomas Dunne is a retired Deputy Chief and 33-year veteran of the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY), with extensive experience serving in Midtown Manhattan and the Bronx. During his career, he commanded hundreds of fires and emergency incidents involving residential, commercial, and high-rise buildings. He also served as Training and Safety Coordinator for FDNY Division 7, where he worked closely with the media and community organizations.
Chief Dunne is a nationally recognized speaker on incident command, performing under stress, and human behavior in disasters. He has presented at conferences, colleges, and professional programs across the country for business leaders, students, emergency responders, disaster relief organizations, and fire and EMS professionals. He has authored numerous articles for Fire Engineering magazine and serves as an adjunct instructor for both the National Fire Academy and Kean University.
He is the author of Notes From the Fireground, a memoir of his FDNY career, and the novel A Moment in Time. His latest book, Pressure Proof: A Guide to Performing Under Stress, is scheduled for publication by Fire Engineering Books in 2026.
Check out his website: chieftomdunne.com
Accidents, severe weather, workplace pressures, and deadlines—we are faced each day with numerous forms of stress, ranging from the routine challenges of life to the unexpected trauma of fires and other disasters. This class is designed to help you function safely and effectively in stressful environments. It is based on lessons learned from many years of managing fire and emergency operations with the New York City Fire Department.
Personal fire experiences and videos are used to illustrate how the tools used to manage stress on the fireground can also be applied in everyday situations. The presentation combines an analysis of stress psychology with practical recommendations for firefighting, emergency response, and fire safety education programs. Students will have the opportunity to participate in hands-on fire scenarios to reinforce the material presented.
Channelized attention, task saturation, communication issues, social influences, and other factors that negatively impact the decision-making process are analyzed. The command bubble, imposter syndrome, the size-up process, and other fire service concepts are presented in a manner designed to improve situational awareness and individual performance under crisis conditions.
This class offers relevant material for fire and life safety educators, members of disaster relief agencies, business professionals, and firefighting personnel. Participants will learn how the decision-making processes used on the fireground can translate into safer, more confident actions during any fire or emergency operation. Learn the tools that allow you to move beyond disabling fear and toward positive action in any challenging situation.
