The Firehouse Yak: Ariel Jackson - Mentoring New Company Officers

Peter Matthews talks with Capt. Ariel “AJ” Jackson about the program helped developed in Anne Arundel County, MD, to help new fire officers learn from ropes, from payroll to fireground leadership.

Peter Matthews

June 24, 2025

2 min read

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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, NY. Matthews served as photographer for the St. Paul, MN, Fire Department and currently is a photographer for the Fort Worth, TX, Fire Department.