Our Story

We Built What We Couldn't Find

Every fire department in the country faces the same problem. Veterans retire. Decades of hard-won knowledge walk out the door with them. The rookie on the rig has access to the same apparatus, the same maps, the same SOGs — but not the same instinct.

First Pro started with a question: what if every incident report, every near-miss, every lesson learned the hard way could become preparation for the crew coming up behind?

Dr. Brad Miller spent his career at the intersection of artificial intelligence, natural language processing, and professional development. Dylan Abbett spent 13 years on the rig as a firefighter and paramedic. They saw the same gap from different angles — Brad from the research side, Dylan from the apparatus floor.

The result is First Pro. A platform that reads incident reports and generates scenarios. That turns building walkthroughs into searchable intelligence. That delivers preparation in three-minute sessions on the device your PROs already carry.

We didn't build this in a Silicon Valley office for people we've never met. We built it because we lived the problem. And we built it the way it should be built — practitioner-first, no corporate bloat, no private equity extraction.

In Omnia Paratus. Ready for everything.

The Team

Practitioners First

Every person on this team either lived the problem or spent their career building tools for the people who do.

Dr. Brad B. Miller

Dr. Brad B. Miller

CEO — AI + NLP + Professional Development

Two-time founder with a PhD and adjunct lecturership at the University of Illinois. Built his career at the intersection of artificial intelligence, natural language processing, and professional development. An Eagle Scout who believes preparation precedes power.

Dylan Abbett

Dylan Abbett

Lead Developer — 13+ Years Fire/Paramedic

Spent over 13 years as a firefighter and paramedic before becoming the engineer who built First Pro. As a certified fire instructor, he doesn't just write code — he understands the workflows, the frustrations, and the stakes from the inside.

Jonas Reger

Jonas Reger

Chief Architect — Data + AI + Mathematics

Architects the intelligence engine that powers First Pro. Deep expertise in statistics, mathematics, and AI. Designed the systems that transform raw incident data into structured intelligence. An Eagle Scout who brings methodical precision to every technical challenge.

Charlie Ferreira

Charlie Ferreira

Chief of Product — 17 Years Sales Engineering

17 years of sales engineering experience and a hazmat background. His enterprise SaaS experience — combined with hands-on understanding of safety operations — makes him the bridge between what PROs need and what we build. A General-class ham radio operator who understands that reliable communication saves lives.

Advisory Board

Guided by Experience

Practitioners and leaders who've spent decades in the environments First Pro serves.

Mitch Blair

Mitch Blair

Product Manager — Insurance Industry

Brings product management expertise from the insurance industry, where risk assessment and preparedness aren't abstract concepts — they're the business. Validates First Pro's flywheel model and sharpens our go-to-market strategy.

Toby Hartman

Toby Hartman

Operations Director — Explosives Manufacturing

Manages operations in one of the most safety-critical industries on earth — explosives manufacturing. His background in oil, gas, and explosives operations provides the ultimate stress test for First Pro's business safety tools.

Craig Vodnik

Craig Vodnik

Founder/CEO — Cleverbridge

Built and led Cleverbridge, an enterprise e-commerce platform. Brings the enterprise sales playbook — procurement navigation, pricing strategy, and scaling a B2B SaaS company from startup to established player.

Paul McNabb

Paul McNabb

Ret. Senior Security Architect — General Dynamics

Spent his career building security architectures for defense systems at General Dynamics. Guides First Pro's path toward security clearances and compliance frameworks required for government and defense sector adoption.

Tim Murray

Tim Murray

Ret. Fire Engineer + Hazmat — USAF Veteran

HAZMAT career started in the U.S. Air Force as a HAZMAT & Weapons courier. Served on the Champaign Fire Department HAZMAT Team and as a SWAT Medic. Graduate of LSU's WMD Tactical Operations Course and the Center for Domestic Preparedness COBRA live-agent program. Decades of real-world hazmat experience.

Chris Hanson

Chris Hanson

Hazmat Training Center Director

Directs a hazmat training center, bringing institutional knowledge of how safety preparation is developed, delivered, and validated. His domain expertise ensures First Pro's content meets the standards practitioners actually need.

Andy Quarnstrom

Andy Quarnstrom

Ret. Fire Chief — UIS Adjunct Professor

Over three decades in emergency services, now in municipal administration. Adjunct professor at the University of Illinois Springfield. His perspective as a former fire chief shapes how First Pro serves department leadership.

Winston Peters

Winston Peters

President — BXEDC

Leads BXEDC, bringing executive leadership and economic development perspective to First Pro's growth strategy and market positioning.

Brian Brauer

Brian Brauer

Executive Director — Emergency Management, University of Illinois

Directs emergency management at the University of Illinois, overseeing preparedness and response for one of the largest public university systems in the country. His institutional emergency management expertise validates First Pro's approach to large-scale safety operations.

Built by PROs. For PROs.

Real people. Real experience. Real preparation.

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