The Firehouse Yak: Jacob Gates – The Young Fire Instructor’s Path to Success

Are you making the most of your potential as a fire instructor? Peter Matthews talks with Jacob Gates about strategies to refine your skills and adapt to modern teaching techniques.

Peter Matthews

Jacob Gates

March 31, 2025

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.

Jacob Gates

Resources

Jacob Gates bio and contributor page

About the Author

Peter Matthews

Editor-in-Chief/Conference Director

Peter Matthews is the conference director and editor-in-chief of Firehouse. He has worked at Firehouse since 1999, serving in various roles on both Firehouse Magazine and Firehouse.com staffs. He completed an internship with the Rochester, NY, Fire Department and served with fire departments in Rush, NY, and Laurel, MD, and was a lieutenant with the Glenwood Fire Company in Glenwood, NY. Matthews served as photographer for the St. Paul, MN, Fire Department and currently is a photographer for the Fort Worth, TX, Fire Department.

Jacob Gates

Jacob Gates is a firefighter for the Mifflin Township Division of Fire in Gahanna, OH, serving in both engine and truck companies. He also is a captain for the Falls Township Fire Department in southeastern Ohio and a lead instructor for the Ohio Fire Academy.