The Firehouse Yak: Steve Baker - Mental Health: The Rocks in a Firefighter’s Backpack?
Peter Matthews sits down with Battalion Chief Steve Baker to discuss the mental health challenges firefighters face, and the life-changing events of a single day in 2019 that reshaped his journey.
With two decades in emergency services, Baker shares how he reached a breaking point, what he discovered when he took a hard look at the “rocks” weighing down his backpack, and how he began shedding those rocks while rebuilding himself. He outlines five key steps that everyone can use to take care of themselves and his reflection offers valuable lessons for anyone in the fire service who is carrying more than just their gear.
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.
Steve Baker
Steve Baker is a seasoned fire service leader with over 23 years of strategic and operational field experience. Currently serving as the Assistant Fire Chief of Professional Standards at the Plymouth Fire Department in Minnesota. He has been instrumental in leading organizational change, training, and fostering interagency collaboration.
Professional Highlights:
- 23 years in the fire service, including 18 years as a training officer
- 25 years as a paramedic
- 15 years as a tactical paramedic
- 18 years with the West Suburban Fire Academy
- Regional Response to Active Shooter instructor and board member
- Blue Card instructor and coordinator for Hennepin and Carver County partnership
