Red Ribbon Report

Chief Caughey is the Fire Chief of Laramie County Fire District #2 which is a growing combination fire department located outside of Cheyenne Wyoming. Chief Caughey is a long-time student of the fire service with a focus of evolving to meet the needs of the members and community. He has a bachelor’s in Fire Science and is currently enrolled in a master’s of public administration program and the NFA EFO program.

Ron J. Cheves is the Past Fire Chief of the Idlewild Volunteer Fire Department, a combination of paid and volunteers, in Matthews, the Southeast corner of Mecklenburg County (Charlotte) North Carolina, and has served nearly 50 years in the fire service. He resides with his family in Murrells Inlet, SC. From his very early childhood, where at six years old he watched his neighbor’s house burn, he determined that there was no greater endeavor than to become a firefighter and help other people. This was a childhood dream that he never outgrew. He began his fire service career when he joined the Pinecroft-Sedgefield Fire Department in his home town of Jamestown, NC in 1974. In 1979 Ron moved to Knoxville, Tennessee and joined the Rural-Metro Fire Department of East Tennessee where he served as a tailboard firefighter for several years before returning to North Carolina and settled in Charlotte in 1983. Over the past 45 + years, Ron has acquired numerous certifications; He has completed the University of North Carolina - Charlotte Fire & Rescue Management Institute and the North Carolina Fire Chief’s Executive Development Program.
Chief Cheves served Idlewild Volunteer Fire Department for nearly 30 years; he held every rank from Firefighter to Chief of the Department. Ron has also been a board member of the Mecklenburg County Firefighter’s Association for over 20 years. He serves on many committees and organizational bodies throughout the country. Ron currently manages the Red Ribbon courses for the VCOS section of the International Association of Fire Chief’s, and in 2012 was appointed to NFPA 1720, the standard for Organization and Deployment by Volunteer Fire-EMS Dept. He is a columnist / lecturer for several fire service publications and participates in numerous conferences throughout the country.
Chief Cheves served his local home town community as Chief Safety Officer, and Board of Directors for the Robinson Volunteer Fire-Rescue Department, a very progressive Fire- Rescue provider for about 5,000 residents in Charlotte, NC. Robinson VFD operates as a combination department with full time paid personnel to assist the volunteers to serve the community covering 6.92 square miles. Robinson VFD is always looking for good, hardworking volunteers to join the ranks, and help protect the community in which we all are proud to call home.

John M. Buckman III served as a German Township Fire Chief managing volunteers for 35 years. He is most proud of the title “pawpaw.” Leslie his wife has spent 29 years together. He currently serves as Education Coordinator for the International Association of Fire Chief Volunteer and Combination Officers Section. He is the Director of Government and Regional Outreach for IamResponding. He served as the Indiana Fire Academy Director for 15 years. He served as President of the International Association of Fire Chief in 2001-2002.

He has authored over 150 articles in various publications. In 1996 he was selected by Fire Chief Magazine as Fire Chief of the Year in 1996. He has published 4 books and 7 photography books. He received the Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels Meritorious Service Award. The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2022 he received the Jimmy Seavey Health and Wellness award presented by the NVFC. and the Presidents Award from the International Society of Fire Service Instructors.

He was one of the founders of the Volunteer and Combination Officer Section (VCOS) and the National Fire Academy Alumni Association. He has contributed to several “ribbon reports” published by the VCOS. He was asked to be one of the editors for the original Lavender Ribbon Report published by the VCOS and NVFC in 2019. In 2021 he along with Brian McQueen spearheaded the update for the Lavender Ribbon Report. He is a principal author of the Yellow Ribbon Report and the updated updated Training Volunteers white paper published by the National Volunteer Fire Council and the Volunteer and Combination Officers Section.