When a critical incident, occupational illness, or line-of-duty death occurs, essential information cannot be scattered across disconnected systems, spreadsheets, and paper files. Eddie Buchanan and Lynwood Buchanan use the incident that claimed the life of Lt. Brad Clark as a powerful case study in why connected data matters. They’ll explore how accurate rostering and real-time command accountability protect personnel during an incident—and how complete exposure, personnel, and asset records help families secure benefits and departments recover after the worst happens.

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About Our Speakers:

Eddie Buchanan is the Customer Advocacy Manager at First Due and a retired Assistant Chief with Hanover County Fire-EMS. His fire service career spans more than four decades and includes extensive experience in operations, training, administration, and data-informed decision-making. He is coauthor of the “Training Officer’s Handbook from Fire Engineering and serves on the Fire Engineering Editorial Advisory Board.  

Lynwood Buchanan is a Battalion Chief with Spotsylvania County Fire and Rescue and previously served with Hanover County Fire-EMS. He was the incident commander during the 2018 response that resulted in the line-of-duty death of Lieutenant Bradford T. Clark. Lynwood has shared the lessons from that experience, providing a candid perspective on command, accountability, organizational recovery, and the responsibility to support firefighters and their families when the worst happens.