Peter Matthews talks with Jared Vermeulen, who authored a new book, “The Modern Fire Officer: Building Legacy That Endures,” that is designed to help guide today’s fire officers through the many situations they encounter each day.

Vermeulen says that today’s fire officers often wear dozens of hats compared to a few hats for previous generations because of the all-hazards role that fire departments play in their community while ensuring today’s firefighters are confident in their duties. He said officers can find themselves trying to bridge multiple generational gaps in understanding, technology and know-how at the same time.

They discuss the challenges of some chiefs who take the helm as fire chief to fix a 20-year-old problem, blocking progress in their organization and possibly pushing it backward. Vermeulen says the fire service, in some ways, is the U.S. Post Office in it’s antiquated ways.

Related links:

• The Modern Fire Officer
• Jared Vermeulen on LinkedIn
• The Modern Fire Officer (Book 1)
• The Modern Fire Officer: Building Legacy That Endures (Book 2)
• The Firehouse Yak: Jared Vermeulen – Foundations for The Modern Fire Officer

Chief Jacob Johnson sits down with long time friend, West Columbia, SC, Fire Department Battalion Chief Marc Aloan. They discuss all things leadership and dive into some deep questions. It’s fun, packed full of knowledge and provides important insight for all to hear and learn.

Peter Matthews talks with Eric Valliere, CEO of the Fire Department Safety Officers Association (FDSOA), about increasing the organization’s efforts in the awareness of firefighter safety and health.

For years, FDSOA has offered incident safety officers (ISO) and health and safety officers (HSO) education and today they fcus on bridging the gap between research, science and new operational efforts and the members on the streets. Listeners will learn how they can take part in FDSOA’s outreach efforts and why Valliere says smart and educated firefighters can see the importance of safety and health programs.

Valliere highlights the challenges and success ISOs and HSOs are seeing in the fire service and how their roles continue to evolve beyond emergency incident scenes. He also talks about FDSOA’s annual conference in January and the various award programs they offer.

Related links:

• Fire Department Safety Officers Association website
• FDSOA Facebook
• FDSOA YouTube
• FDSOA LinkedIn
• From FDSOA: 5 in 2025: Fireground Safety Considerations for Incident Safety Officers
• Simon Sinek’s The Golden Circle TedTalk