The Firehouse Yak: Kristopher Blume – Leadership in an Evolving Fire Service
Fire Chief Kristopher Blume joins Peter Matthews to share his insight on being a fire chief and leadership in today’s ever-changing fire service and his new book.
Peter Matthews talks with Chief Kristopher Blume about the realities of leading fire departments today, as they evolve quicker than ever and what is driving people away from the fire service in historic numbers.
Blume highlights key parts of his recently published book, Carry the Fire: The Crucible of Leadership in the Fire Service and the two discuss the background of his recent Firehouse.com article, “Beyond the Smoke: What Is Driving People Away from the Fire Service?” and what three key factors are causing serious issues int fire department ranks.
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 Landing, NY. Matthews served as photographer for the St. Paul, MN, Fire Department and currently is a photographer for the Fort Worth, TX, Fire Department.
Kristopher T. Blume is the fire chief of the Meridian, ID, Fire Department and has more than two decades of fire service experience. He is an author, lecturer and independent consultant. Blume is a graduate of the Executive Fire Officer (EFO) program and is an instructor at the National Fire Academy. As a student of the fire service, he is focused on values-driven, mission-focused leadership for the profession. He is the author of "Carry the Fire: The Crucible of Leadership in the Fire Service".
