International Firefighters Day: U.S. Operations & Training in Poland

Peter Matthews is joined by Lt. Robert Policht, Passaic, NJ, and Michał Baranowski to talk about what they witnessed while traveling to each other’s home fire service to honor International Firefighters Day.

Peter Matthews

Robert Policht

May 2, 2025

To mark International Firefighters Day, Firehouse Editor Peter Matthews joined with Passaic, NJ, Lt. Robert Policht and Michał Baranowski, an instructor with the FireTrap Training Academy in Poland.

Policht and Baranowski talk about the highlights from a recent trip in which Policht went to FireTrap in Poland to teach fireground tactics.

The trip started with a discussion on how to use the 2 ½-gallon water can, which launched a multi-day training event by U.S. firefighters to teach their Polish brothers and sisters about a variety of tactics.

The two discuss differences in tactics, Policht highlights his favorite experiences from the trip and Baranowski reflects on a trip to the U.S. where he visited firefighters and their stations.

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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.

Robert Policht

Robert Policht is lieutenant of Ladder Co. 2 of the Passaic, NJ, Fire Department. He assisted with developing and establishing the department’s response to human vs. machine incidents and is attached to the Fire Investigation Unit. Policht started his career as a volunteer and has served as a chief of department. He taught at the Bergen County, NJ, Fire Academy and is a member of the NJ Division of Fire Safety's Fire Threat Task Force. Policht has a master’s degree in emergency management and homeland security from Arizona State University and has been published in several trade publications. He is a founder of and contributor to Flow and Vent, which is a website that's dedicated to fire and rescue training.