Firehouse Editor-in-Chief Peter Matthews talks with retired FDNY Battalion Chief John Salka Jr. in the inagural episode of Today on Firehouse.

Matthews and Salka discuss how Salka develops his backpage "The Fire Scene" column each month for Firehouse Magazine, and Salka reflects on some of his most memorable columns.

Salka also shares stories from his 30-plus years with FDNY, including assignments in Squad 1 and Rescue 3, plus his time as a battalion chief in The Bronx. Salka explains how FDNY's rescue companies evolved from firefighting crews to units equipped to handle a variety of technical rescue incidents.

Salka also shares how he switched helmets from the busy FDNY assignments to his small town volunteer fire department, where the goals are the same but the means to carry them out vary greatly.

Find all of Salka's "The Fire Scene" columns and other written pieces for Firehouse here.