Sitting in the right front seat of a rig means a lot more than giving instructions on the fireground. In fact, that’s a small part of the job. Sure it’s important—I mean, lives are at stake—but you need to be equally good at the rest of the job.

Company officers need to understand that not only will they be in charge at scenes, but they will become parental figures, coaches, counselors, and much more to their crew. And that’s something that is rarely taught in company officer training.

My guest today, Tim Cowan, will be teaching his class on “Riding Shotgun” at Firehouse Expo 2021 in September and he’s here to preview that class for us. Tim retired not long ago from the City of Oneida, New York, Fire Department as a deputy fire chief and fire marshal. With about three decades in fire and emergency services, he’s an active volunteer with the Canastota, New York, Fire Department. And he’s also a deputy fire coordinator and fire instructor for Madison County, New York.