COLD FIRE TACTICAL ADVISORY BOARD
We are proud to have the following members on the Cold Fire Tactical Advisory Board.
Anthony Raganella
Anthony J. Raganella is a retired 25-year decorated New York City Police Department (NYPD) Deputy Inspector and is the founder and president of NY Blue Line Consulting Group, which provides law enforcement training and consulting services nationwide.
While at the NYPD, Anthony spent 8 years as the Commanding Officer of the Disorder Control Unit, a citywide department unit responsible for planning, assessing and ensuring the Department’s training and readiness in crowd management and disorder control operations for civil unrest, as well as major events, emergencies, and protests. As Commander of that unit, Anthony regularly developed policy, as well as evaluated and implemented training, equipment and best practices related to crowd management & control.
Anthony was instrumental in planning and coordinating the NYPD’s strategy, training and field operations during New York City’s Occupy Wall Street movement and the recent Black Lives Matter protests. Anthony was also the co-chair on the Civil Disturbance Subcommittee for the 2015 Papal visit to New York City and conducted international research for the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) in 2017, where he continues to work with NIJ serving on their Special Technical Committee (STC) to develop standards for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and training within U.S. law enforcement Civil Disturbance Units (CDU). During his career, he has been involved in the policing of over 2,000 demonstrations and major events, as well as the relevant training of tens of thousands of NYPD officers. Anthony is considered a subject matter expert on matters related to protests and civil unrest and regularly trains, consults and testifies on such matters.
Anthony has completed his Master Degree in Public Administration, summa cum laude, from Marist College; a Bachelor of Science Degree in Behavioral Science, summa cum laude, from New York Institute of Technology; an Associate of Science Degree in Criminal Justice, summa cum laude, from Nassau Community College, as well as being a graduate of the 24th Session of Columbia University’s Police Management Institute, and the 223rd Session of the FBI National Academy. Additionally, Anthony is the author of several published peer-reviewed journal articles and text book chapter supplements in the field of criminal justice.
Ray Briant
Ray began his career as a Firefighter for a South Florida fire department in 1988. Ray has tested and been promoted throughout his career to the ranks of Driver Engineer, Lieutenant, Captain and currently serves in the rank of Battalion Chief with the Broward Sheriff’s Office, Department of Fire Rescue. Ray is a third generation Firefighter with an Associates Degree in Fire Science.
When Ray is not helping people in his community, he is also an Entrepreneur who helps people online through his company, Think Big Websites. Ray is proud to not only be part of the Advisory Board for Cold Fire Tactical but also to have been selected as the company to build and market Cold Fire Tactical. Think Big Websites is a full service digital marketing company that can help you with a custom website, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), hosting, video marketing and Social Media Marketing.
Chief of Police, Byron Roberson
Major Roberson began his career in 1993 with the Plattsburg, Missouri Police Department as a patrolman. In 1995 he took a position with the Prairie Village Kansas Police Department. During his tenure he has held positions as FTO, Range Instructor, SWAT team leader, Narcotics Detective and Patrol Operations Sergeant. Byron was promoted to Captain in 2015 and commanded the Prairie Village Patrol Division. Byron was promoted to Major in 2019 at which time he was appointed Deputy Chief of Police for the Prairie Village Police Department. Major Robersons’ collateral duties are Emergency Management Coordinator and SWAT Commander. Major Roberson is a graduate or Northwestern School of Staff & Command class #319 and the FBI National Academy class# 269.
Chief of Police, Dawn Layman
Dawn Layman has served in law enforcement for over 30 years in both Pennsylvania and Kansas, currently serving as Deputy Chief. She has served as a Commander in both the Patrol and Support Services Divisions as well as Special Projects and Information Technology. Prior to her current assignment she served as a Major in the Patrol Division and was responsible for Patrol Operations. In addition, she has lead the Field Training Program, Bike Patrol Unit, Directed Patrol Unit, Recruiting and Hiring, Defensive Tactics, and the Professional Development Program. As the Staff Services Division Commander she was responsible for Dispatch/Communications, Radio Technicians, Public Service Officers and Police Department Information Technology.
Dawn has been an active member of National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives (NAWLEE), serving as the organization’s President (2016-2017) & (2011-2012). In 2015 she was named the NAWLEE Women Law Enforcement Executive of the Year. She is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, Police Executive Research Forum, and the Kansas Peace Officers Association. In 2011, she served as a member of the Innovation Team of the Bureau of Justice Assistance Executive Session on Police Leadership.
Dawn earned her Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Kansas and was a member of the National Honor Society for Public Affairs and Administration. She obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from West Chester University (PA). In 2016 she received the West Chester University Distinguished Alumni Award. She has also earned twelve credit hours in pursuit of a Ph.D. in criminal justice. She is a graduate of the 59th session of the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) Senior Management Institute for Police and a graduate of the 251st session of the FBI National Academy
Jason Ramos
Jason A. Ramos is the founder and owner of Product Research Gear, LLC, and author of Smokejumper: A Memoir By One Of America’s Most Select Airborne Firefighters. He has been a firefighter/ first responder for over 30 years, from California, Riverside County Fire Department, Battalion -13 RRU, Region 5, California Desert District, Sequoia National Forest to the Pacific Northwest Region 6, NCSB Smokejumpers, class of 1999.
He, along with his PRg cadre, are among some of the best professionals in the world.
Through three decades as a firefighter, Jason’s experiences involve countless “interesting” missions. As an aerially-delivered firefighter for twenty-six years (U.S. Helitack-Rappel, Smokejumper) he grew tired of having gear fail on mission after mission. He started searching for the best gear in the world.
That’s why he started Product Research Gear.
PRg is a solutions company. From consultation, evaluation to hands-on training regarding “Fire as a Weapon,” we work directly with Cold Fire Tactical to bring you real-world solutions and what to do when you face fire as a weapon. With over three decades of dealing with fire, we offer Top-Tier solutions for you and for agencies throughout the nation.
Al Burt
Al is an Executive Level Maintenance Manager whose current role is Director of Maintenance at Indian River Transport based in Winter Haven, Florida. He holds over 27 years of experience in the transportation industry and 14 years of experience dealing with Cold Fire. He has worked his way up in previous companies such as: Allied Systems, Jack Cooper Transportation, and Moore Transport. From this experience, he has learned how to handle innovation development, customer needs and strong relationships with vendors. He is a graduate of the University of Phoenix, where he earned both his BSM and MBA. He is also a U.S. Army Veteran who served for 10 years.