The Firehouse Yak: Doug Myers – Fireground Accountability, Incident Command and Technology
Peter Matthews talks with Fire Chief Doug Myers, from the Berrien Springs-Oronoko, MI, Fire Department, about commanding today’s fireground incidents. Myers led the development of the Scene Watcher App to help incident commanders track tasks and firefighters on scenes when command staff is limited.
Myers discusses the NIOSH 5, the five recurring factors that have been mentioned in the NIOSH LODD reports. Myers talks about the NIOSH 5 from the perspective of the incident commander and how they must manage the fireground with all five factors playing a part in their decision making.
In his region, with multiple fire departments assigned to fire incidents, Myers developed Scene Watcher to help the incident commanders manage assignments, track personnel and provide an overview of the incident from benchmarks and accountability.
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About the Author
Peter Matthews
Editor-in-Chief
Peter Matthews is the 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.
Doug Myers
Doug Myers began his career in the military, developing foundational expertise as a firefighter, communications specialist, and civil affairs liaison, while concurrently volunteering with the Ingleside, TX, Fire Department. Following an honorable discharge, he continued his service as a paid-on-call firefighter in Michigan. In 2000, Myers transitioned to a full-time role with the Niles Township, MI, Fire Department, serving as a lieutenant and training officer until 2014. He then spent seven years as fire chief for the Covert Township, IN, Fire Department. Since 2021, he has served as fire chief of the Berrien Springs-Oronoko, MI, Fire Department. Leveraging his extensive leadership experience, Myers created the "Beyond the Line" course to help aspiring, new, and seasoned personnel become more effective fire officers both on and off the fireground. Additionally, as president of the Berrien County Fire Chiefs Association, he developed the Scene Watcher command and accountability app in 2024 to enhance operational safety and oversight across the fire service.