Back to Faculty
Faculty

David English

MPA | NRP
Rescue Chief | Consultant | Speaker
Blacksburg Rescue

David English is a nationally recognized EMS leader with over two decades of experience in prehospital care, emergency management, and tactical operations. As Rescue Chief for Blacksburg, Virginia, he oversees one of the state’s largest all-volunteer EMS organizations. David is also the founder of Public Safety Leader LLC, where he mentors and trains public safety professionals. He is a sought-after speaker, having presented on leadership, operational excellence, and tactical EMS at regional and state conferences, including the Virginia EMS Symposium and Western Virginia EMS Council Mini-Symposium. His innovative approaches to EMS leadership and education have earned multiple awards, including the Outstanding EMS Administrator Award.

2026 Sessions

Recruitment and Retention Strategies That Actually Work

Yes, I understand

EMS and public safety leaders are battling the same challenge: we can’t hire fast enough to keep up with who’s leaving. But what if the answer isn’t “more recruitment,” but smarter retention? This powerful, fast-moving session introduces a data-driven framework, The Workforce Utilization Model (WUM), that integrates psychology, adult learning, and business strategy to keep people longer. Participants will explore how to apply the Four Retention Principles (Life-Cycle, Belonging, Success, and Friends & Family) through actionable, evidence-based interventions. Using real EMS data, attendees will learn to calculate retention return on investment identify early “flight risks,” and implement sustainable culture change through Kotter’s Change Model. Walk away with a ready-to-use playbook that transforms retention from an HR problem into a leadership competency.

Presenter (1 Presenter)

Friday, October 02 2:15–3:15 PM
Room W224 E/F
Leadership and Management
Faculty

David English

MPA | NRP
Rescue Chief | Consultant | Speaker
Blacksburg Rescue

David English is a nationally recognized EMS leader with over two decades of experience in prehospital care, emergency management, and tactical operations. As Rescue Chief for Blacksburg, Virginia, he oversees one of the state’s largest all-volunteer EMS organizations. David is also the founder of Public Safety Leader LLC, where he mentors and trains public safety professionals. He is a sought-after speaker, having presented on leadership, operational excellence, and tactical EMS at regional and state conferences, including the Virginia EMS Symposium and Western Virginia EMS Council Mini-Symposium. His innovative approaches to EMS leadership and education have earned multiple awards, including the Outstanding EMS Administrator Award.
Back to top