Chief Freddie Fernandez

Service with the City of Miami Department of Fire Rescue

Chief Freddie began his journey with the City of Miami Department of Fire Rescue in March 1983. Throughout his career, Freddie held many roles, including Firefighter/Paramedic, Lieutenant, Captain and Dive Team shift commander.

Leadership Roles and Achievements

In 1999, Freddie was promoted to Chief Fire Officer, taking responsibility for 14 fire stations staffed by 150 members per shift and handling over 250 emergency calls each day. Reporting to him were three chief officers and five captains. On September 19, 2009, Freddie was elevated to Deputy Fire Chief (Operations) for Miami Fire Rescue, where he supervised the Emergency Response Division, the Training Division, and the Fire Marshal’s office. During his tenure, he contributed to significant projects, such as writing the Active Shooter Policy, the Port of Miami tunnel and Marlins Stadium emergency response plans, an attrition plan to address the retirement of 40% of the workforce in a single year, and the development of a five-year strategic plan. After more than 31 years of dedicated service, Chief Freddie retired in November 2014.

Teaching and Training Experience

Freddie’s passion for teaching began in 1985, instructing all EMS levels from First Responder to Paramedic. He served as an instructor at Miami Dade College from 1985 to 2001, working at the police academy, fire academy, and medical campus. His extensive background in Public Safety education includes training firefighters, police officers, and corrections officers. He has also designed and led courses for driver-engineers, strategy and tactics, and Officer Development programs. Freddie holds Associate of Science degrees in EMS and Fire Science from Miami Dade College and has been a presenter at FDIC, Firehouse Expo, and Firehouse World on several occasions.

Specialization in Test Preparation

Since 1999, Chief Freddie has specialized in test preparation courses for both entry-level and promotional candidates in public safety. He has facilitated, developed, assessed, or participated in hundreds of examination processes, and has led seminars and private training sessions with outstanding outcomes. Hundreds of his trainees have achieved number one scores in their promotional processes, while thousands have ranked within the top five. Chief Freddie has provided training for personnel from over 500 agencies across 47 states.

Kimberly Caruso

Law Enforcement Career

Kimberly Caruso is a distinguished law enforcement professional with twenty-two years of service in the Miami Police Department. Prior to her retirement in January 2024, she held the position of Neighborhood Commander, overseeing the Downtown district—regarded as the heart of Miami. In this capacity, she managed multiple teams and units, including a support team of 13 police officers, one Public Service Aide, and a sergeant; a problem-solving team comprising one sergeant and five officers; and a patrol group led by one lieutenant, six sergeants, three Public Service Aides, and 37 police officers.

Appointed Commander in July 2021, Ms. Caruso previously served as Lieutenant and Unit Commander of the Traffic Crash Investigations Unit (TCIU) for three years. Her prior assignments include three years with the Criminal Investigations Division, where she acted as Administrative Lieutenant and Deputy Neighborhood Commander within the Field Operations Division, covering several patrol neighborhoods.

In 2015, she was assigned to the Internal Affairs Section, General Investigations, as a Sergeant, where she investigated cases of police misconduct. Before that, Ms. Caruso supervised the Homicide Unit, overseeing 21 homicide investigations, as well as numerous suicide, natural, and unclassified death cases.

Earlier roles include a term as Patrol Sergeant in the Field Operations Division following her promotion in October 2010, and four and a half years as an investigator with the Traffic Homicide detail, where she led investigations into 27 traffic fatalities—six of which resulted in felony criminal charges. Ms. Caruso began her career serving five and a half years as a Patrol Officer in the Field Operations Division.

Instruction and Training

Since 2004, Ms. Caruso has been actively engaged in law enforcement instruction, delivering in-service, post-academy, and academy-level training. She has significantly contributed to DUI and crash investigation training within the Miami Police Department, taught at several Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) Schools across Florida, and served as lead instructor for the Speed Measurement course provided by the Training Unit.

Her credentials include certification as a Standardized Field Sobriety Test (SFST) Instructor, Drug Recognition Expert, and Drug Recognition Expert Instructor. She also functioned as the Drug Recognition Coordinator for the City of Miami Police Department. Additionally, Ms. Caruso serves as an Adjunct Instructor for the Institute of Police Technology and Management (IPTM), the Institute of Public Safety at Broward College, and the School of Justice at Miami Dade College, where she has delivered a variety of courses throughout South Florida.

Her expertise has been recognized through invitations to speak on two panels during breakout sessions at the NAWLEE Annual Conference in April 2022 and April 2025. In January 2024, Commander Caruso joined the staff at Police Assessment Center Prep.

Education

Ms. Caruso holds a Master of Science in Criminal Justice from Florida International University. She has completed 44 credits toward a second Bachelor of Science in Engineering. In addition, she is a graduate of the School of Police Staff and Command at the Northwestern University Center for Public Safety.

Chief David Johns

Chief Johns began his career in Palm Beach, Florida in April of 1990, serving in many capacities.

Now District Chief in the busiest battalion in the county, David, who received his BA from Barry University in 1988, is a certified Instructor III, Live Fire Instructor, and Inspector.

Chief Johns has conducted seminars and private training sessions for hundreds of candidates with spectacular results.