The Firehouse Yak: Ariel Jackson - Mentoring New Company Officers
Peter Matthews sat down with Capt. Ariel “AJ” Jackson to look at his role in developing an officer mentoring and training program for the Anne Arundel County, MD, fire officers.
Jackson, a second-generation firefighter, talks about the night he was promoted and the working fire with entrapment that followed. That fire turned into a career-long learning experience for him in which he partnered with another firefighter to develop a company officer mentoring program that’s been used by the department. He takes listeners through the process and offers insights that can be used by any department.
A veteran of the fire service, Jackson finishes up the podcast with an explanation of why he still attends conferences as a student to continue learning.
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 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.
Ariel Jackson
Ariel “AJ” Jackson is a 29-year veteran of the fire service. He currently works for the Anne Arundel County, MD, Fire Department and is assigned as the company captain to the Waugh Chapel fire station, which cross-staffs an engine and a tower ladder. Jackson serves as an adjunct instructor for On Scene Training Associates. He has been featured on The Firehouse Yak and served as an instructor for Firehouse Expo’s HOT programs.