The Firehouse Yak

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Editor-in-Chief Peter Matthews talks with Firehouse authors and speakers and members of the fire service about firefighter training and tactics, leadership, trends and traditions.

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The Firehouse Yak: Flip Griffin
Peter Matthews talks with U.S. Navy Command Master Chief (ret.) Flip Griffin about the impact of leadership on fire service recruitment, retention and burnout and how departments...
March 2, 2026
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The Firehouse Yak: Jared Vermeulen
Peter Matthews talks with Capt. Jared Vermeulen, author of “The Modern Fire Officer,” about the leadership principles in his book, from relationships and crew health to encouraging...
Feb. 16, 2026
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Firehouse Podcast: Beyond the Bugles
A new Firehouse Magazine podcast brings you, "Beyond the Bugles" hosted by Assistant Chief Jacob Johnson, where he and guests discuss leadership at the chief officer level.
Feb. 9, 2026
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The Firehouse Yak: Ryan Pennington
Peter Matthews is joined by Ryan Pennington, who explains his approach to every shift with the mentality of being a firefighter first and how that has guided him as he has promoted...
Feb. 2, 2026
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The Firehouse Yak: Justin Sherwood
Peter Matthews talks with Justin Sherwood about his path to fire chief and what he has learned over the last five years, from encouraging service to finding clarity in the noise...
Dec. 23, 2025
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The Firehouse Yak: John Lewis and Robert Moran – Basement Fires and Hidden Dangers Below
Peter Matthews is joined by Robert Moran and John Lewis of the Jersey Guys to talk basement fire tactics considering recent firefighter death reports and lawsuits.
Dec. 9, 2025
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The Firehouse Yak: Sean Eagen
Peter Matthews talks with Buffalo, NY, Capt. Sean Eagen about his approach to fires in vacant structures, from building markings and size-up factors to search and firefighting...
Nov. 24, 2025
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The Firehouse Yak: Dan Byrne, TJ Cullison, AJ Kehl – Firefighters Reflect on Military Service, Veterans Day
Peter Matthews talks with three firefighters who started their public service careers in the U.S. Army, Marine and Air Force and what Veterans Day means to them.
Nov. 11, 2025
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The Firehouse Yak: Michael Daley
Peter Matthews talks with fire instructor and longtime Firehouse contributor Michael Daley about firefighter training, from motivation to training ideas and future challenges....
Oct. 27, 2025
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The Firehouse Yak: Kristopher Blume
Fire Chief Kristopher Blume joins Peter Matthews to share his insight on being a fire chief and leadership in today’s ever-changing fire service and his new book.
Oct. 13, 2025
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The Firehouse Yak: Black Sunday
Eileen Bellew, widow of FDNY Lt. John Bellew, and his daughter, Katreana, talk about navigating PTSD since the 2005 Black Sunday fire, and how fire departments can support those...
Sept. 29, 2025
The Firehouse Yak: Bill Niemann
Peter Matthews talks with Bill Niemann, author of the book Heavy Fire Showing, talks about launching his department’s fire investigation team.
Sept. 15, 2025