nATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL
— consilio et servitio —
Service through counsel
The FRLN National Advisory Council (NAC) brings together Distinguished Advisors from all across our Nation who volunteer their time, experience, and hard-earned wisdom to advise, mentor, connect, and challenge FRLN's developing leaders. The NAC is not a governing board, nor does it exercise operational authority or assume fiduciary responsibility. Our Board of Directors governs, our National Executive Officers lead, and our NAC Distinguished Advisors help make those leaders better.
We want people who will tell us what we need to hear, not simply what we want to hear. The NAC exists to help our leaders become wiser before they make decisions, not to make those decisions for them.
The NAC grew from a simple realization in FRLN's earliest years: people eventually leave positions, but their lessons do not have to leave with them. Our Distinguished Advisors help preserve those lessons, challenge assumptions, open doors, and develop leaders who will eventually carry this mission further than we ever could. We are not interested in creating another committee buried in meetings, reports, or bureaucracy. We want meaningful relationships between experienced professionals and developing leaders.
People who have already walked difficult roads, made mistakes, learned from them, and still care enough to help someone coming behind them. Our Emeritus recognition separately honors those whose character, service, and lasting contributions helped shape FRLN and its future.
— CONSILIO ET SERVITIO —
“ Service through Counsel ”
Bill
Mack
INAUGURAL
FRLN VICE CHAIR EMERITUS • IN MEMORIAM • EOW JULY 18TH 2025
Deputy Chief Bill Mack, who passed on July 18, 2025, was more than a firefighter and Deputy Chief—he was a compass, a mentor, and a force of quiet, steadfast leadership. His 30-year career began in Auburn and culminated in his role as Deputy Chief at East Pierce Fire & Rescue, where he served until retiring in 2023. Bill was known not just for what he taught, but for how he led—with humility, presence, and heart. He empowered generations of firefighters and officers across King and Pierce counties through both technical training and personal mentorship.
Outside of duty, Bill gave freely of his time to community causes like the Nick of Time Foundation and was instrumental in helping shape the vision of First Responder Liaison Network. His encouragement helped lay the foundation for our youth mentorship movement, where his legacy lives on through every camp, mentee, and alumni. Bill didn’t need recognition—he led with quiet conviction, and his actions always spoke louder than his words. His laughter, warmth, and deep belief in others left a mark that cannot be measured.
We are deeply grateful to his family for sharing him with us, and we will carry his example forward in all we do.
No one can replace a man as pivotal and remarkable as Bill Mack.
BRYAN
LANE JR.
INAUGURAL
BOARD DIRECTOR EMERITUS
Bryan Lane Jr. serves as a fireman with an ISO Class 1-rated fire department in north Texas, with more than 400 personnel serving more than 250,000 citizens across 67 square miles and 13 fire stations.
Bryan’s mindset, relationships, and character reflect the standard we believe the first-responder profession should continually strive toward: capable without arrogance, ambitious without losing sight of service, and committed to becoming better so that we can be more useful to the people around us.
Bryan’s pursuit of excellence has followed him through every chapter of his life. From competing at the highest levels as a University of Nevada and NFL football player, to coaching youth, to building a career in the fire service and being named the Irving Fire Department’s 2025 Firefighter of the Year, Bryan has consistently pushed himself to grow while investing in others. That same drive carried into aviation, where he became an FAA-certificated Commercial Pilot, Certified Flight Instructor (CFI), and Certified Flight Instructor–Instrument (CFII). Today, he also serves as a flight instructor, helping prepare the next generation of aviators.
Within FRLN, however, Bryan is valued for something more consequential than any collection of titles or accomplishments. He represents what can happen when character, competence, humility, and an unrelenting commitment to growth exist in the same person. As FRLN’s Director of Culture & Stewardship, Bryan helps ensure those qualities are not merely words we publish, but expectations we build into our organization and pass forward to those who follow us.
Bryan does not treat becoming a first responder as the completion of his development. He continues building himself as a leader, aviator, mentor, teammate, and human being—and then uses that growth in service of others. His trajectory matters to us because the young people we serve deserve examples of first responders who demonstrate that the badge is neither the ceiling nor the destination—it is a responsibility to keep becoming someone worthy of the trust placed in you.
If we could model every FRLN Youth Alumni after the character of one first responder—someone who embodies what it means to be a “Master of Disaster”: poised in uncertainty, capable amid chaos, and able to create order when others need it most—then in mentality, capability, and humility, we would model them after Bryan Keith Lane Jr.
If you are considering serving as a Distinguished Advisor on the FRLN National Advisory Council, we hope Bryan’s story gives you a sense of the people we will bring together. His accomplishments are impressive, but that is not why we are sharing his story. What matters most to us is the character behind them—the humility to keep learning, the willingness to serve, and the desire to use what you have earned and learned to help someone coming behind you.
Berlin
Maza (HE/HIM)
INAUGURAL
FRLN BOARD CHAIR EMERITUS
Berlin is a Captain with a Fire & Rescue agency in the beautiful foothills of the Cascade Mountains of the Pacific Northwest. He has over 18 years of experience in the fire service with a passion in mentorship and team-building. Berlin is now a doctoral candidate pursuing his Doctor of Strategic Leadership.
Committed to fostering diversity and inclusion, Berlin strives for creating welcoming opportunities in organizations and communities. Empowering the youth is his mission, equipping them with the necessary tools and support to become engaged, confident and empowered leaders of the future. Berlin’s vision is to promote inclusive practices and inspire the next generation of leaders. Let’s ignite change and build a better and brighter future together!
Anthony “AJ”
John
INAUGURAL
BOARD DIRECTOR EMERITUS
AJ is a Battalion Chief with South King Fire & Rescue based out of Federal Way, Washington. He brings 3 decades of firefighting experience with a focus on mentorship. AJ is involved with several committees, teams and groups that work at identifying needs to uplift people into the fire service. Memberships include the Washington State Council of Firefighters (WSCFF) Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) committee, South King Fire’s DEI mentorship program coordinator, Honor Guard commander, King County Firefighters Pipes & Drums member, extrication instructor for Puyallup Extrication Team (PXT). The ultimate goal is to get a recruitment group started to give better access to the fire service. AJ’s lifelong motto, “stay fired up!”, keeps the pedal down as we champion youth to become the personal embodiment of their goals and LIMITLESS potential!
#StayFiredUp!
NAC 1.0 — INAUGURAL CLASS OF 2030
We deliberately seek representation from across the United States, bringing together professionals from different geographic regions, career backgrounds, and perspectives.
You do NOT need to be a Chief, Sheriff, Director, or CEO to belong here. We value the dispatcher behind the console, the beat cop running calls, the medic on the box, and the jumpseat firefighter riding backwards just as much as accomplished executives who have spent decades building organizations.
Your experience, character, and commitment to mentorship matter more than a rank or title.
INTERESTED IN SERVING?
FRLN will nominations in early 2029, with applications sent out in Summer 2029. NAC selections anticipated in late-autumn 2029 and the inaugural Council launching January 1, 2030.
NAC Distinguished Advisors will serve three-year terms, participate in an annual national gathering, and maintain meaningful mentorship relationships with FRLN leadership. We are looking for wisdom, character, passion, and people who genuinely care about first responders and the generations who will follow them. If that sounds like you, we would welcome hearing from you. To express interest and receive application information when available, email admin@frln.org , subject: “NAC Nomination”
National Breadth with Local Depth.