The Difficult Questions About Suicide and How To Ask Them

John M. Buckman III served as a German Township Fire Chief managing volunteers for 35 years. He is most proud of the title “pawpaw.” Leslie his wife has spent 29 years together. He currently serves as Education Coordinator for the International Association of Fire Chief Volunteer and Combination Officers Section. He is the Director of Government and Regional Outreach for IamResponding. He served as the Indiana Fire Academy Director for 15 years. He served as President of the International Association of Fire Chief in 2001-2002.

He has authored over 150 articles in various publications. In 1996 he was selected by Fire Chief Magazine as Fire Chief of the Year in 1996. He has published 4 books and 7 photography books. He received the Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels Meritorious Service Award. The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2022 he received the Jimmy Seavey Health and Wellness award presented by the NVFC. and the Presidents Award from the International Society of Fire Service Instructors.

He was one of the founders of the Volunteer and Combination Officer Section (VCOS) and the National Fire Academy Alumni Association. He has contributed to several “ribbon reports” published by the VCOS. He was asked to be one of the editors for the original Lavender Ribbon Report published by the VCOS and NVFC in 2019. In 2021 he along with Brian McQueen spearheaded the update for the Lavender Ribbon Report. He is a principal author of the Yellow Ribbon Report and the updated updated Training Volunteers white paper published by the National Volunteer Fire Council and the Volunteer and Combination Officers Section.

James Rychard is a 21-year firefighter/instructor from the City of Burlington, Ontario Canada. He is an accomplished author writing for both Firefighting in Canada and Canadian Firefighter magazines. This past year, James joined 23 other Canadian professionals with his article “Guarding Against Burnout in the Emergency Services: A Firefighter’s Perspective” published in the Canadian Journal of Criminal Justice Report, Special Issue for Public Safety Personnel. He is a passionate advocate for both organizational & personal wellness and since 2019 has successfully presented International Chief Officer conferences on burnout, human factors & performance, culture, and character. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and is a graduate of the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs - Humber College’s Fire Service Executive Management Certificate program. James sits on several international committees ranging from mental health to human factors & human performance (a newly formed committee he designed). In 2022, James received Fire Service Psychology Association’s inaugural Fire Service Leader of the Year award for his work in fire service mental and behavioural health.

In his spare time, James enjoys actively engaging in nature, spending time away from the job hiking, cycling, and training his Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, Luna.