For Battalion Chief Joseph Grossi Jr., of the Hoboken, NJ, Fire Department, his Instagram account with more than 31,000 followers had an unexpected rise to popularity.
In 2019, Grossi randomly began his social media account to post training concepts. It all came from his personal experiences, hoping to help younger firefighters.
“I just started putting up random things that I felt like were good to help people out," Grossi told FIrehouse. "Mistakes I made along the way that hopefully a younger guy could look at."
It began with still shots that would emulate the point he was attempting to make. As he kept posting, it became a hobby during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“In a nutshell, I try to put things out there to make people think, make people stay focused and engaged in work. Also, to laugh a little. I try to put humor in there, and a little bit of dark and sarcastic humor. That's my personality,” said Grossi.
Most social media accounts will have an overall brand name. From the beginning, it’s been Grossi’s name. He wanted to show everyone how transparent he is with what he puts out there.
“I had my name out there from day one. You may not agree with me. You may not like it, but at least, you could appreciate the fact that I'm honest. This is who I am. If you don't like it, we could discuss it or we could agree to disagree,” he said.
Eventually, he would turn towards more video content. Grossi would attach a GoPro while responding to a call, not only to potentially post on social media, but to utilize it internally to become better by analyzing the film.
“I put myself out there with the GoPro videos. It wasn’t to expose any victims, casualties or any of that. For the most part, I think a lot of people in my generational range and even younger are visual learners,” said Grossi.
Coming from a sports background, Grossi. values the concept of watching film to improve yourself and to hold yourself accountable. Others share that same idea, considering people have reached out to him beyond the fire service crediting what he is doing.
“It's a training related content. It’s supposed to be meant to inform, educate or provide some form of training for firefighters. I even have people reach out to me from law enforcement saying they like my mindset and how I handle things. They can attribute those in the police world as well as civilians or in athletics. There’s a lot of parallels,” said Grossi.
The videos gained traction and began to bolster the account. Any time there is an incident or type of an emergency, the camera goes on. What makes this account differ from a lot of fire service social media accounts is that Grossi. doesn’t have a consistent posting schedule. He shoots from the hip, and if he has an idea, it goes up.
“It's just a hobby. I get random things that come to mind, I draw a memory or I'll have an interaction or an experience at work. The whole reason why I started is just to have my own little thing to just mess around. If I lose that, then I lose my identity,” said Grossi.
His identity is what has built him some good friendships that he wouldn’t have if it weren’t for the account. Grossi also recalls when a father reached out to him informing him that Grossi interacted with the father’s son years ago, who is now a firefighter in Georgia. It was the interaction with Grossi Jr. that gave the kid that motivation.
“He was putting up to the effect, you never know who you come across, who you interact and who you touch. We lead by example. Kids look at you in a light, and you don't want to let them down,” said Grossi.
About the Author
Ryan Baker
Ryan Baker is a writer and associate editor with prior experiences in online and print production. Ryan is an associate editor for Firehouse with a master's degree in sciences of communication from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He recently completed a year of teaching Intro to Public Speaking at UW-Whitewater, as part of his graduate program. Ryan acquired his bachelor's degree in journalism in 2023 from UW-Whitewater, and operates currently out of Minneapolis, MN. Baker, also writes freelances for the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) in his free time, while also umpiring baseball for various ages across the Twin Cities Metro Area.