Project Command

n this episode of Project Command, we take a step back and look at what actually moves the needle inside a fire department. We talk about how to get real buy-in on projects and how to build momentum when there is little or no initial support. This is not theory. It is what works when you are trying to move people, resources, and priorities in a complex organization.

This episode is driven by questions from you. I enjoy doing these Q and A and AMA style episodes because they keep me accountable to the topics you actually want to hear about. It also gives me a chance to address what is happening in your departments right now, not just what sounds good on paper.

We break down the characteristics of effective leadership in today's fire service and what separates leaders who create progress from those who stall it out. The conversation also covers common mistakes departments continue to make, especially when it comes to technology decisions, communication breakdowns, and misalignment between leadership and the field.

We spend time on where technology is heading and what it actually means for operations, training, and decision making. That leads into a direct conversation about AI. Is it overhyped, or are departments underestimating how quickly it will impact the job

If you are involved in leading projects, implementing change, or trying to improve how your organization operates, this episode will give you practical insight you can apply immediately

In this episode of Project Command, I sit down with Jared Vermeulen to talk about leadership in the modern fire service and what it really takes to build something that lasts.

Jared is the author of The Modern Fire Officer and Building Legacy That Endures, and this conversation dives deep into the ideas behind both books. We move beyond tactics and operations and focus on the leadership skills that often get overlooked but ultimately determine long-term success.

We discuss the importance of soft skills in leadership, including communication, emotional intelligence, trust building, and influence. These are the skills that shape culture, drive performance, and determine whether an organization improves or stays stuck.

We also talk about what chiefs and organizational leaders need to understand in 2026. The job is changing. Expectations are higher. The environment is more complex. Leaders who rely only on traditional approaches are going to struggle. Jared lays out what leaders need to focus on now to stay effective in the years ahead.

This is a conversation about leadership that goes beyond rank, beyond title, and beyond the fireground. It is about building people, building systems, and building a legacy that actually endures.

If you are serious about leadership, this one is worth your time.

Check out Jared's books here: The Modern Fire Officer: https://a.co/d/0fWpY99k Building Legacy That Endures: https://a.co/d/0iu0bMvQ

As always, we do not run ads. If you find value in the show, share it with someone else in the fire service.

Recorded live from FDIC, this episode of Project Command features Duke Cuneo sitting down with firefighter Jeff Lenard from the Washington, D.C. Fire Department to break down one of the most complex and tragic incidents in recent memory.

They walk through the January 2025 midair collision involving a commercial passenger jet and a Black Hawk helicopter over Reagan National Airport, examining what happened, how responders managed the incident, and the operational challenges faced in the moment.

The conversation goes beyond the headlines. Duke and Jeff dig into the technology that played a role in the response, from aviation tracking tools to on-scene coordination systems, and how those tools helped shape decision making during a rapidly evolving disaster.

They also talk through key lessons learned, including communication, interagency coordination, and the realities of operating in a dense urban environment with overlapping jurisdictions.

The episode wraps with a look at emerging technology in search and rescue and special operations, and how departments can start thinking now about integrating these tools before the next major incident occurs.

If you are involved in operations, command, or planning, this is a grounded, real-world discussion on what works, what breaks, and what needs to improve.

As always, we do not run ads. If you find value in the show, share it with someone else in the fire service.

Recorded live from FDIC, this episode features a conversation with Bailey Farren, founder and CEO of Perimeter, about what is actually happening with AI in the fire service right now.

We get into how her company is using AI to support fire departments, where agencies are seeing real value, and where things are still more hype than reality. Bailey shares what she has observed from working across departments, including how AI is being used globally and how those use cases compare to what we are seeing here in the United States.

We also talk about the broader technology landscape. What trends are gaining traction, what leaders should be paying attention to, and where departments can get caught behind if they are not careful.

This is a practical conversation. Less theory, more real-world application. If you are trying to understand how AI fits into your organization and what comes next, this one will give you a clear picture.

Episode Citations:

In this special Q&A episode of Project Command, we dive straight into questions from our listeners in the fire service and beyond. We discuss one of the biggest challenges facing departments—how to effectively scale project management without losing control or clarity. We also break down practical strategies for managing the firefighter schedule within active projects, balancing operational demands with long-term initiatives. Finally, we explore the hard truths behind why projects fail in the fire service, uncovering common pitfalls and how to avoid them. Whether you're leading change or supporting it, this episode is packed with actionable insights from the field.

Fire departments operate in environments where competence, trust, and consistency can mean the difference between life and death. Because of that reality, change inside the fire service is often far more difficult than leaders expect.

In this episode of Project Command, Captain Peter Younes explores why fire departments frequently struggle to implement lasting change. The discussion breaks down several structural and cultural factors that make change difficult in high reliability organizations like the fire service.

The episode begins by examining why firefighters often resist change. Resistance is frequently misunderstood as negativity or stubbornness, but in many cases it is a rational response to operational risk. Firefighters build their performance on familiarity with their crew, their equipment, and their environment. When those elements change, competence temporarily drops. This creates what can be described as the proficiency tax.

The conversation then explores how poor communication around the purpose of change erodes trust. When firefighters do not understand why a new system, policy, or procedure is being introduced, adoption suffers. Leaders must communicate the purpose of change clearly, repeatedly, and with real context.

Another major factor is capacity for change. Individuals and organizations both have limits. Personal stress, fatigue, operational tempo, and multiple simultaneous initiatives can overwhelm even well designed improvements.

The episode also looks at the doom loop described in Good to Great and how it often appears in the fire service through constant program shifts and trend driven initiatives. Without long term planning and strategic direction, organizations create change fatigue that undermines future efforts.

Finally, the episode introduces a practical framework from the book Switch. Effective change requires addressing emotion, logic, and environment at the same time. If any one of these elements is ignored, even well intentioned initiatives can fail.

If you lead projects, programs, or operational initiatives in the fire service, understanding how change actually works may be one of the most important leadership skills you develop.

In this special guest appearance, Peter Younes, host of the Project Command podcast, is interviewed by Chief Eric Linnenburger on the Ops Talk podcast. We are bringing this conversation to the Project Command feed because it digs deep into the core mission of what we do here: applying professional project management to the high-stakes world of public safety.

Peter and Chief Linnenburger discuss why the "fireground mentality" is a double-edged sword when it comes to administrative and operational projects. They break down the essential value of systems, the psychological hurdles of implementing new technology in a traditional culture, and the specific friction points that cause complex projects to stall in the fire service.

Highlights of the Interview:

• The Project Management Gap: Why tactical excellence doesn't always translate to the office—and how to bridge it.

• Systems as a Foundation: Moving from a "hero culture" to a "systems culture" for long-term reliability.

• Tech Adoption: How to introduce new software and tools without losing the buy-in of the rank and file.

• Operational Projects: Defining the projects that actually move the needle for a modern department.

In this episode of Project Command, Peter Younes sits down with Odean "Dean" Maye to talk about what it actually takes to scale ideas, teams, and technology in the real world. Dean shares lessons from startups, enterprise leadership, AWS, finance, and AI, then breaks down how leaders can separate hype from real business value.

The conversation dives into practical AI adoption, why most organizations still have not figured it out, and how agentic AI is changing the way work gets done. Dean also explains why leaders should start with outcomes instead of tools, how to think like a systems builder, and why strong teams need a clear scoreboard. This is a grounded conversation on leadership, innovation, project execution, and the future of AI for organizations trying to move from curiosity to action.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/odeanmaye Acuvero: https://www.acuvero.com Autonomous: https://atonomos.io

Big problems often feel overwhelming because everything is stuck in our heads at the same time. In this episode of Project Command, Captain Peter Younes explains a simple framework for using artificial intelligence to turn complex problems into clear, actionable plans.

Instead of staring at a problem and hoping inspiration strikes, AI can be used as a thinking partner to organize information, break challenges into manageable pieces, and build a step-by-step plan.

Peter walks through his seven-step AI problem-solving framework that anyone can apply immediately:

1. Get it out of your head

2. Organize and review

3. Break the problem into pieces

4. Define goals and timeline

5. Turn it into a to-do list

6. Organize by sequence and priority

7. Execute and iterate

Whether you're leading a project, solving an operational problem, or trying to bring order to a complicated situation, this method shows how AI can help transform confusion into clarity.