Peter Matthews talks with Jeremy Blair and Courtney Hull about a unique program that prepares high school seniors to become firefighters through Waukesha County Technical College in Wisconsin. 

The two share how fire departments can better connect with Gen Z recruits by rethinking education and engagement through recruitment. Blair explains why today’s students want to feel part of something bigger and why teaching methods must evolve. Hull offers insight into adolescent brain development and why vulnerability-based trust is essential for building strong future firefighters. 

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Peter Matthews sits down with Assistant Chief Steve Baker to discuss the mental health challenges firefighters face, and the life-changing events of a single day in 2019 that reshaped his journey. 

With two decades in emergency services, Baker shares how he reached a breaking point, what he discovered when he took a hard look at the “rocks” weighing down his backpack, and how he began shedding those rocks while rebuilding himself. He outlines five key steps that everyone can use to take care of themselves and his reflection offers valuable lessons for anyone in the fire service who is carrying more than just their gear. 

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Peter Matthews talks with Battalion Chief Michael Dozier of The Company Officer about the deep-rooted cultural challenges facing today’s fire departments.  

Dozier starts by breaking down what “culture” truly means in the fire service and how departments across the country, at every rank, are struggling with communication, trust, and aligning expectations. He explains how key points contribute to cohesive teams, and what firefighters at each rank can do to maintain accountability and strengthen commitment. 

The podcast also explores the unwritten rules that influence daily operations, including those that help firefighters succeed—and those that create barriers. Dozier closes by sharing how regional differences, especially in areas like his where many firefighters are transplants, further shape the way culture is built and sustained. 

Peter Matthews sat down with Capt. Ariel “AJ” Jackson to look at his role in developing an officer mentoring and training program for the Anne Arundel County, MD, fire officers. 

Jackson, a second-generation firefighter, talks about the night he was promoted and the working fire with entrapment that followed. That fire turned into a career-long learning experience for him in which he partnered with another firefighter to develop a company officer mentoring program that’s been used by the department. He takes listeners through the process and offers insights that can be used by any department. 

A veteran of the fire service, Jackson finishes up the podcast with an explanation of why he still attends conferences as a student to continue learning.

Peter Matthews invites author Michael Glore, who is a deputy chief with the Reading, PA, Fire Department, to share his interest in fire service history and how the war stories from the past has shaped today’s fire service.   

Glore, who has nearly 40 years in the fire service and has co-authored four fire service history books, explains why firefighters should know their department’s history to help make tactical decisions, but also to understand by certain tactics are understood. 

The show is filled with historical nuggets for all listeners from the recent 40th anniversary of firefighter fatality fire in Reading involving a flashover, to an early example of a BLEVE to firefighter cancer. Glore explains how firefighters can capture their history and how to share it with others. 

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Peter Matthews sits down with longtime Firehouse contributors John J. Lewis Jr. and Robert Moran, who have been named Firehouse’s Hall of Fame Class of 2025. The two reflect on their fire service careers, Lewis retiring as a lieutenant and Moran as a fire chief.  

The two, known as The Jersey Guys, entered the fire service Northern New Jersey and had lengthy careers in both volunteer and career fire services as well as two decades of instructing and writing.  

From close calls and the incident that led them to begin teaching firefighters, to advice for new firefighters, those seeking promotions and rising to the rank of chief, they share nuggets from across their career while looking back on major incidents and milestones with their time at Firehouse.com.2 

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Peter Matthews sits down with Chief Tom Jenkins to discuss the latest developments with the National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS) and what fire departments should expect as NFIRS is phased out in 2026.  

Jenkins breaks down how departments can begin the transition, outlines timelines, and how more than a dozen records management systems have already been approved to integrate with NERIS, paving the way for more seamless, platform-based data sharing.  The expanded capabilities of NERIS, include critical time stamps, resource tracking, and a broader range of incident types and actions.  

This new data sets allow fire departments to identity emerging trends that they can respond to, including risk reduction strategies, response methods and more. The data, Jenkins says, allows departments to tell their story. 

With data integrity so important in 2025, Matthews discusses why that mindset prompted Firehouse to reevaluate our annual run survey publications. 

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Peter Matthews talks with Assistant Chief Steve Baker of the Plymouth, MN, Fire Department about how fire service delivery has evolved in his region.  

Baker shares how the transition from volunteer and paid-on-call firefighters to combination and full-time agencies has led to faster responses and more efficient operations. He highlights the role of regionalized training, inter-agency collaboration, and a consistent command system in driving progress.  

Baker emphasizes that lean staffing continues to limit departments from reaching their full potential and both current and future leaders need to understand the mandatory overtime and long work hours will take a serious toll on the next generation of the fire service.   

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Peter Matthews talks with Rob Policht, a lieutenant with Passaic, NJ, Fire Department and one of the guys between Flow and Vent, about the state of today’s fire service and how a podcast he was on with a former Navy SEAL changed some of his approach to the fire service.  

As a young officer, Policht provides his perspective on bridging the gap across multiple generations in the station. From bringing new members to the crew to understand operations and history, to ensuring all members are engaged in training to build a cohesive unit, Policht says crews need to have trust and respect for each other. 

Reflecting on his podcast with U.S. Navy SEAL Drago Dzieran, he talks about the differences and similarities between the firefighters and SEALs, plus the paramilitary approach to fire departments and the SEAL’s thoughts on the fire service. 

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Peter Matthews talks with Jacob Gates, a lead instructor at the Ohio Fire Academy, about the need to stay relevant while instructing multiple generations of the fire service and staying up-to-date strategies and tactics.  

Gates, who also serves with Mifflin Township Division of Fire in Gahanna, OH and the Falls Township, OH, Fire Department explains some of the changes he has witnessed as teaching styles evolve and recruit/member learning styles change. He shares advice to help the next generation of fire instructors prepare for their roles and why instructors always need to be freshening up their skills. 

Gates, who followed in the footsteps of his father, Brent, also addresses family at the station and at home. He explains the importance of prioritizing the importance of your family at home. 

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