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.

Resources

• National Emergency Response Information System
• NERIS Onboarding
• Infographic: NERIS Essentials: What You Need to Know
• Research Corner: NERIS—Firefighting Data in the Digital Age

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.

Resources

• MN Public Safety Agencies Partner for Active Shooter Training

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.

Resources

• Robert Policht’s bio and contributor page
• Personality Behind the Profile: Flow and Vent
• Flow and Vent podcast: Navy Seals and Firefighters with Drago Dzieran
• Flow and Vent website
• Flow and Vent Facebook
• Flow and Vent Instagram
• Webinar: Mastering SCBA Skills for Firefighters

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.

Resources

• Jacob Gates’ bio and contributor page

Capt. Joe DeVito talks about the need for added training and an enhanced understanding of thermal imaging cameras (TIC) for firefighters during today’s emergency responses.

DeVito talks about the lack of training for most firefighters, from the basics of fireground operations to rescue and other incidents. They talk about how to overcome the common misconception that a TIC is primarily an officer’s tool and why every member needs to know how to use it. DeVito compares maximizing your TIC to understanding all the apps on an new iPhone.

Switching topics, DeVito talks about being on the job in Florida in an area that’s been hard-hit by hurricanes recently and how that’s impacted the members and the residents they protect. Much of his area was destroyed, so the return to the station after the hurricane required resiliency and a desire to build the neighborhood back up, plus how to take care of the firefighters before, during and after the storms.

Resources

• Joe DeVito’s Firehouse.com bio page and article

Station Design Conference Director Janet Wilmoth and Principal Architect Rob Manns discuss the impact of the Station Design Conference on recent fire station construction projects, and how attendees can maximize what they get out of attending the annual conference focused on fire station designs and construction for new and renovated stations.

Wilmoth planned the 11th annual conference, taking place in Glendale, AZ, May 20-22, with a focus on building stations designed to last 50 years in the fast-moving environment of building design, construction materials and technology and new materials. The two explain how the conference is designed for education and time with service providers and why attendees should plans their schedule carefully.

Manns, a principal architect with Manns Woodward Studios, explains how attendees can maximize their conversations with speakers, architects, builder and component representatives and peers through networking and coming equipped with questions.

For departments who are seeking advice on current or future plans, Wilmoth explains the 1-on-One Sessions pair agencies with architects to look at blue prints for advice on design and layout concepts to ensure the station meets their needs.

As the show wraps up, they discuss some of the trends they’ve seen in volunteer fire stations, from the need for sleeping spaces to stations built to transition from volunteer to combination and how understand the future of the organization can save them money in the long run.

Resources

• Station Design Conference
• Manns Woodward Studios
• Revamping America's first responder infrastructure – an untapped market for contractors
• Janet Wilmoth’s Firehouse contributor page
• Robert Manns’ Firehouse contributor page

Assistant Chief Christopher Zak talks with Peter Matthews about his retirement from the Milford, CT, Fire Department and transition to a new career in Hanahan, SC. He moved to become a training office and has since promoted to assistant chief.

Zak talks about the decision to call an end to his first fire service career and how a Google search took him to South Carolina, plus the conversations and insight he sought from trusted and unknown fire service leaders. After that 700-mile move, Zak found himself in a new department, new city and with a phone void of contacts to help him navigate his duties.

Learn how the leap of faith has led Zak to a renewed sense of commitment to the fire service and why it’s important to look at other agencies if you are ready to move on in the fire service.

Resources

• Christopher Zak’s Firehouse.com bio page and article

Chief Daniel DeYear returns to The Firehouse Yak podcast after talking about the fire service’s approach to safety with a discussion on company officer development based on his workshops.

DeYear digs into decades of leadership lessons from nearly two decades as an officer and chief in Dallas Fire-Rescue, including communication, accountability, trust and support. Many including firefighters and officers, DeYear says, do not understand the officer’s primary role in the fire department.

Listen to learn about DeYear’s opinion of the biggest challenges facing fire officers today, most of which have been a challenge for the last few generations of fire service leaders. He also digs into the debate about being friends with your officers, about top-down and bottom-up communications and how to build a crew based on strengths and weaknesses.

Resources

• ChiefDeYear.com
• Connect with Daniel DeYear on LinkedIn
• The Firehouse Yak: Daniel DeYear - 20 LODDs in 144 Days, A Wake-up Call for Firefighter Culture?
• Hidden Dangers, Hidden Secrets
• Daniel DeYear’s Firehouse bio and contributions