The Firehouse Yak: Michael Daley – Firefighter Training for the Unknown
Peter Matthews talks with fire instructor and longtime Firehouse contributor Michael Daley about firefighter training, from motivation to training ideas and future challenges.
Michael Daley joins Peter Matthews to discuss firefighter training today with a look at training challenges expected over the next five years, including new responses such as electric vehicles, and the abilities and skills news firefighters bring to the job.
Daley, a proponent of well-trained and educated firefighters, says firefighters should train to a level or professionalism – whether volunteer or career – to be able to handle whatever they encounter. He discusses what training officers need to do to incorporate historical events into training, how to build a training calendar and how to ensure that members do not lose the drive to train.
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.
MICHAEL DALEY, who is a Firehouse contributing editor, recently retired as a 37-year veteran who served as a captain and department training officer in Monroe Township, NJ. He is a staff instructor at multiple New Jersey fire academies and is an adjunct professor in the Fire Science Program at Middlesex County College. Daley is a nationally known instructor who has presented at multiple conferences, including Firehouse Expo and Firehouse World. His education includes accreditations as a Chief Training Officer and a Fire Investigator, and he completed the Craftsman Level of education with Project Kill the Flashover. Daley is a member of the Institution of Fire Engineers and a FEMA Instructor and Rescue Officer with NJ Urban Search and Rescue Task Force 1. He operates Fire Service Performance Concepts, which is a training and research firm that delivers and develops training courses in many fire service competencies.
