Rick Lasky

Rick Lasky, is the fire chief for the City of Lewisville, Texas. A 25-year veteran of the fire service, he has been a line firefighter, firefighter-paramedic, company grade officer, training officer and command-level officer in the Bedford Park, Illinois; Darien-Woodridge, Illinois; Coeur d'Alene, Idaho; and Lewisville, Texas fire departments.

While in Illinois, he taught for the University of Illinois- Illinois Fire Service Institute and the Illinois Fire Chiefs' Association and received the 1996 International Society of Fire Service Instructors "Innovator Of The Year" award for his development of the "Saving Our Own" program, a program designed to teach firefighters how to save firefighters that have become trapped or lost in a burning building. He lectures at the local, state, national and international levels and is a sought-after speaker by both the public and private sectors. A very popular speaker on a variety of leadership topics, he has been requested by several businesses and corporations to deliver his inspiring and meaningful leadership development programs.

As an author, Rick has written over 150 technical articles that have been published in national fire-rescue journals. These magazine articles relate to fire department operations, administration, training and safety. Rick is a long-standing editorial advisor to Fire Engineering Magazine and is currently writing a book on 21st century leadership entitled Pride and Ownership.

Rick has also served as a police officer and was wounded on several occasions, once while defending a victim of family violence; he has received numerous fire and police awards and commendations. He is married to his best friend Jami and they have two children, Rick and Emily.