Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast The FireDawg Podcast

In Episode 60 of the FireDawg Podcast, Matt sits down with CMSgt (Ret.) Shanton Russell for a reflective conversation on career progression, leadership philosophy, and long-term success in Air Force Fire Protection.

Chief Russell shares his full-circle journey—entering the Air Force as a young firefighter at Scott Air Force Base in 1996 and retiring nearly 30 years later as the Fire Chief at the same installation. Throughout the discussion, he reflects on the lessons learned early in his career, how his leadership approach evolved as he progressed through the enlisted ranks, and the experiences that shaped him as a senior enlisted leader.

This episode offers valuable insight for Airmen, NCOs, and leaders at every level who are focused on professional growth, intentional leadership, and building a career grounded in service and experience.

In this episode, Matt is joined by Chief Master Sergeant Kyle Rollins to break down the June 2020 Hazardous Materials Storage Facility fire at Kadena Air Base.

Chief Rollins, who served as the Incident Commander, provides a detailed after-action review of a response initiated by Calcium Hypochlorite, a reactive material whose hazards can rapidly escalate when exposed to heat and moisture.

During the discussion they cover the facility conditions and contributing factors leading up to the incident, the initial response, size-up, and decision-making, interoperability and coordination between response agencies and strengths, challenges, and key lessons learned from the event.

The goal of this episode is to share real-world experience so firefighters and leaders can apply these lessons to their own response planning, training, and preparedness–before facing a similar incident themselves.

In this episode, Matt and Chris sit down with John Whitmyer, Carlos Ballesteros, and Michael Myles–instructors of the new Fire Officer Strategies & Tactics Leadership Course (FOSTLC).

Designed for newly appointed company officers, FOSTLC is reshaping how the Air Force develops tactical leaders. Our guests break down why the course was created, the leadership gaps it aims to solve, and how it blends decision-making, mentorship, and fireground strategy into a focused 17-day program.

They walk us through the evolution of the course–from its early 30-plus day design to the refined, practical version being delivered today–and share insights from the first student iterations, lessons learned, and feedback from the field. The team also discusses the skills taught, what it takes to become an instructor, and what short- and long-term changes are on the horizon as the course continues to grow.

Whether you're a current or aspiring company officer, a chief officer looking to strengthen your department’s leadership pipeline, or simply someone invested in the future of the DoD Fire Service, this episode offers a deep dive into a course that’s helping shape the next generation of fire service leaders.

In this episode, Matt joins Justin Andreas, an ultramarathoner, run coach, social media influencer, podcaster, and current Deputy Fire Chief at Eielson AFB. They dig into the power of doing hard things—and how stepping into discomfort builds real resilience you can carry into every area of life. Justin shares why carving out time for the things that ignite you isn’t just a hobby—it’s a critical part of thriving on duty and off. Whether you’re chasing big goals in your career, your fitness, or your personal development, this conversation shows how leaning into the hard stuff shapes you into someone who’s ready for anything.

Fluorine Free Foam (F3) has officially replaced AFFF across the Department of Defense fire service - but what does that really mean for firefighters on the line?

In this episode, Matt and Chris sit down with Austin Perry, a Staff Sergeant and Company Officer at Eielson Air Force Base, who brings firsthand operational experience using F3 during two major aircraft responses - an F-35 crash and an F-16 mishap in 2025.

Austin shares insights from both real-world incidents and formal training at the Dallas-Fort Worth Fire Training Research Center, breaking down the science, limitations, and tactical adjustments needed to apply F3 in the field effectively.

From foam chemistry and nozzle techniques to weather effects and decision-making under pressure, this episode dives deep into the technical side of firefighting’s newest challenge: mastering F3.

To explore Austin’s training videos and F3 resources, visit firedawg.us and check out Episode 56.

In this Table Talk Series episode, Matt and Chris dive into what it really means to balance military and fire service obligations. They break down where to focus your attention throughout your career—starting with mastering your craft as a firefighter and Airman, before anything else.

The discussion covers how technical proficiency lays the foundation for effective leadership, when and how to build cross-unit relationships, and how to approach promotions and professional development with purpose. Matt and Chris also share insights on choosing meaningful extracurriculars and aligning your growth with both your personal goals and the mission.

Whether you’re just starting or looking to grow as a leader in the military fire service, this conversation offers practical advice and real-world perspective on career focus, development, and balance.

In this episode, Matt and Chris sit down with two retired Air Force firefighters who turned their passion for service into thriving ventures. Mark Abrahamson, founder of Foxtrot Zulu and co-founder of Probie Fire Training, shares how he built businesses that provide consultation, training, and resources to DoD and civilian fire departments. Ashontay Owens, founder of Crimson Melt and the Folds of the Flame Foundation, shares his inspiration to launch a restaurant and the mission behind his nonprofit supporting families of first responders lost to suicide.

Together, they reflect on the military and fire service lessons that shaped their leadership, the hurdles of entrepreneurship, and the advice they’d give firefighters thinking about starting their own businesses.

In episode 54, Chris sits down with Chief Warrant Officer Justin Barnes, Marine Corps Liaison Officer at the Joint Fire Protection Academy in San Angelo, Texas.

With over 20 years of service, Chief Barnes has served in Iraq and Afghanistan, shaped thousands of Marines as a Drill Instructor, and was recognized as the 2022 DoD Military Fire Officer of the Year.

Their conversation explores what it really means to be comfortable with discomfort and how that mindset shapes strong leaders. They also talk about the importance of trust in both combat and training environments, as well as the challenge of preparing teams for missions leaders themselves may never have faced. Chief Barnes shares how he creates space for mistakes, even in no-fail missions, while fostering growth in young leaders.

In this episode, Chris and Matt explore the power of purpose—why it matters, how it shapes our daily actions, and its deep connection to mental well-being and long-term happiness. Drawing on the work of Viktor Frankl and our own experiences in the fire service, we discuss how purpose isn't just a feel-good concept—it’s a driving force that fuels performance, resilience, and personal growth. Whether it’s in your personal life or on the fireground, having a clear purpose helps you show up as the best version of yourself, even on the hardest days.

In this episode, Matt and Chris sit down with Master Gunnery Sergeant Marcos Martinez, the Fire Protection Training Analyst with Marine Corps Training & Education Command in Quantico, VA. With 28 years of service in the Marine Corps, Master Guns Martinez has had diverse roles, including working with an urban search and rescue team, serving as a Drill Instructor, and completing a tour in Iraq during the Battle of Ramadi. As the senior enlisted leader for Marine Corps Fire Protection, he shares valuable insights into the mission, structure, and integration of Marine Corps Fire Protection and its comparison to the Air Force.  

The conversation dives into the responsibilities of a Fire Protection Training Analyst, the differences between deployable and non-deployable units, and how Marine Corps fire protection units are structured. The episode also explores the growing partnership between the Marine Corps and Air Force fire services, the integration of civilian firefighting skills to enhance combat readiness, and the importance of Marines doing "hard things" to build resilience and prepare for future challenges. If you're interested in fire service leadership, combat readiness, and the collaboration between military branches, this episode is for you!

In this episode, Matt speaks with TSgt Quentin Patterson, an Air Force firefighter turned Air Advisor. With experience supporting partner nations across Africa and beyond, Quentin has been part of missions in Senegal, Tanzania, Ghana, Chad, France, Morocco, and Cameroon.

Quentin shares his journey in air advising including the training and his experiences, and gives insight into how his work impacts global security. He also discusses how this unique path will open doors for future opportunities within and outside the military.

In this episode, Matt is joined by three leaders who played a pivotal role in shaping the AF F&ES Concept of Employment: CMSgt (ret.) Phillip Winkelmann, CMSgt Mark Abrahamson, and SMSgt Jesse Marshall. During the Air Force’s transition to AFFOGEN, they were in unique positions to help lay the foundation for the F&ES framework we have today.

Chief Winkelmann, the former Air Force Fire Protection Career Field Manager, along with Chief Abrahamson and Senior Marshall, discuss and offer insights into how the Concept of Employment came together.

In this episode, Chris Bauchle and Chief AJ Kehl explain why negotiation skills are essential for fire service leaders - especially for DoD firefighters, officers, and chiefs. Drawing on principles from Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss, Chief Kehl explains that negotiation isn't just about securing pay or resources - it's an essential tool for everyday leadership. Whether you're coordinating with other agencies, resolving shift disputes, advocating for equipment upgrades, or building trust with the community, negotiation plays a crucial role in effective leadership.

The conversation also dives into the power of influence in leadership. Effective leaders know that giving orders isn't enough - they influence to get results. From understanding incentives to building trust, this episode equips you with tools to lead with empathy, foster collaboration, and drive high performance in your fire service team.

Tune in and level up your leadership and negotiation game!

This Readiness Series focuses on all aspects of Air Force firefighter waretime preparedness. Throughout the series, we will explore key military doctrine, techniques, tactics, and procedures, examine equipment packages, and much more. While the series emphasizes topics related to wartime readiness, all information shared is unclassified, publicly available, and free of sensitive content.  

In this episode, Matt is joined by CMSgt Geoffry Wilson, the Air Force Fire Protection Career Field Manager. Chief Wilson and Matt delve into the origins of the Air Force’s Force Generation Models, as well as the Agile Combat Employment (ACE) model, which outlines how the Air Force plans to operate in a contested environment. They also explore the reasons behind the Air Force’s evolving strategies and how the Fire Service integrates into these new frameworks. Please note, the information shared is current as of December 2024 and may evolve as the Air Force continues to refine its approach.

In this episode of the Table Talk Series, Chris shares a real-life story from Indianapolis about a firefighter who took a big risk and successfully made a daring rescue. He and Matt break down the "Risk vs. Reward" threshold—when should you risk a lot to save a lot, and when should you pull back? Every firefighter has their own approach, but one thing is certain: preparation, training, and discipline are key. Tune in to hear how Chris and Matt explore where that line falls and why being ready for any challenge is crucial in the fire service.

In this episode, Chris and Matt have the privilege of speaking with Chief Jason Hoevelmann, Fire Chief of the Florissant Valley Fire Protection District in North St. Louis County, MO.

Chief Hoevelmann has 28 years of experience in the fire service. He has held various positions including Company Officer, Battalion Chief, and now Fire Chief. He is also the author of two books: No Exceptions Leadership: The Leadership Handbook and The New Company Officer. He is also the creator of The New Fire Officer Facebook page which some of you may be familiar with; the page has 40,000 followers. Most recently, he was a keynote speaker at FDIC (Fire Department Instructors Conference), where he addressed the critical need for change and adaptation in the fire service.

In our conversation, Chief Hoevelmann shares his insights on leadership, discusses his books, explores the balance between higher education and ground competency, and discusses the importance of change and adaptation among other important topics.

Matt and Austin discuss breaking down engine company decision making into manageable, easy to remember, and useful approaches. They talk about the “rule of 3s” and how to break down decisions such as what hose or appliance to employ on a fire, how to load and stretch hose, and how to supply the engine and other things into 3 options each. They also talk about how to break down 1st and 2nd due company assignments to again, make decision making easy. The idea is that when you break tactics down into three options it makes your efforts much more effective and the outcome much more favorable.

It should go without saying that the information provided in this episode and others like it are not intended to replace existing department procedures or act as an excuse to not train. These approaches are “simple, not easy” and should be carefully thought through and practiced.

Let us know your thoughts or opinions in our FireDawg Mentorship Facebook Group and head to our website, www.firedawg.us, to check out other episodes.

In Episode 49, Jeret Kinnaird and Brandon Pelkey join Matt and Chris to talk about the North Carolina Air National Guard (ANG) Rescue Technician School. The school offers Rescue Technician I and Rescue Technician II courses that are AETC sanctioned and are IFSAC and Pro Board accredited. Throughout the episode, Jeret and Brandon give insights into what the course is about, what the future holds and how to sign up.

In this episode, Matt is joined by Austin Perry. Austin and Matt talk about engine company operations as they relate to interior structure fire tactics. More specifically Austin talks about zero visibility nozzle work or working within a structure with zero visibility (and how to approach that), he also talks about the importance of training subordinate firefighters so that they understand tactics and approaches so that they are empowered to work alone when necessary, and we also talk about some other firefighting tactics and approaches throughout our conversation.

In this episode, Matt is joined by Brandon Laird to discuss fireground size up. They discuss having a standardized approach to size-ups so that they are easy to remember and ultimately improve fireground efficiency. They discuss the acronym CANC3R:

• C - Conditions and Construction
• A - Actions
• N - Needs
• C - Command
• 3 - 360
• R - Report

In episode 48, Matt and Chris speak with Ryan Julius and Leah Lloyd, both recent graduates of Firefighter Rescue and Survival (FRAS), Class 9. Ryan and Leah recount their experiences and offer advice to anyone interested in attending one of the most mentally and physically demanding courses offered to DoD Firefighters.

Visit https://firedawg.us/fras/ for more info on FRAS and to sign up for the next class.

In episode 47, Matt speaks with Robert Gerry, the Logistic Officer at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Fire Department in New Jersey. RJ is a contributing member of the Air Force Fire & Emergency Services “Reinvigorate the Flight” strategic line of effort (LOE) #2 and championed the new Logistics Officer Course intended to introduce new logistics officers to the information and resources necessary to be successful in the job. In the episode, he explains the rationale behind the course, some of the information included within it, and the other plans for improving the availability of information for the Logistics Officer position.

In episode 46, Matt and Chris talk with FDNY Firefighter Jeff Cool. On January 23rd, 2005, Jeff survived what later became known as “Black Sunday”. Jeff and 5 other New York City firefighters bailed out of the 4th floor of an illegally divided tenement in the Bronx, killing two firefighters and leading to the death of a third as a result of his injuries.

Jeff started his firefighting career in 1984 as an active-duty Air Force firefighter at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. From there, he did some time with the Air National Guard and spent four years as a civilian airport firefighter. Following that, he began his FDNY career at Ladder 19 in the Bronx. Following September 11, 2001, he moved to Rescue Company 3.

In the episode, he recounts the events of “Black Sunday”, highlights the heroics of those Firefighters on that day, and discusses how we prevent similar tragedies in the future.

In this episode, Matt speaks with Chief Michael Ott, former Air Force Firefighter and now Fire Chief for Tulare Fire Department, California. They discuss his transition out of the military, how to maximize your marketability as a former military firefighter, and what to expect during the transition.

Chief Ott is a retired Air Force Firefighter who served 21 years at multiple locations across the US, Europe, and the Middle East. He achieved the rank of Senior Master Sergeant and served as a Deputy Fire Chief at Vandenburg Fire Department before retiring in 2021. Since transitioning out of the military, he secured a job as the Tulare Fire Department Fire Chief and serves as an Adjunct Instructor for Fresno City College. His department responds to nearly 8000 calls per year and serves a community of over 70,000 residents.

In episode 44, Matt speaks with Andrew Starnes. Andy currently serves as a Battalion Chief in a large career department in NC. He is a well-known fire service contributor on the topics of thermal imaging, fire behavior, leadership, behavioral health, and faith-based devotions. He is also the founder of Bringing Back Brotherhood, a nonprofit organization designed to encourage and provide guidance for firefighters in the area of behavioral health, counseling, and more. He has trained and assisted departments with Thermal Imaging Training in all 50 states and 16 other countries and also consults manufacturers and assists with product development. His company, Insight Fire Training, LLC. offers a wide range of fire behavior and thermal imaging training and education and is the first company to offer a thermography-based firefighter certification credentialed through the Infrared Training Center.

Find out more about Insight Fire Training, LLC. at https://insighttrainingllc.com/

In Episode 43, Matt speaks with Chief Josh Loescher. Chief Loescher is the Fire Chief at Traux Field in Madison Wisconsin, home of the 115th Fighter Wing.  He has served in the Air National Guard for over 22 years.  He is also an Academic Associate at Arizona State Watts College and an Adjunct Fire Protection Instructor at Fox Valley Technical College. In the episode, he highlights the unique characteristics of Fire Protection in the Air National Guard including manpower, funding, support for state and federal emergencies, and differences in promotions and training, among other things. He and I also discuss how active duty Air Force compares with the Guard and how members from each can complement each other well when working together.

In Episode 3 of Table Talk, Matt Wilson is joined by Jared Aardema. They discuss education pursuits, networking, and workplace performance. Where should you aim with your educational pursuits? What does right look like in regard to networking? How do you motivate someone to care about the job? How do you rid an organizational culture of mediocrity? These are just a few of the topics that Matt and Jared discuss.

After you've listened, please head over to our Facebook Group, FireDawg Mentorship, or any of our other social media sites, to continue the conversation.

Chris Bauchle is joined by friend Travis Bender to discuss their take on tactics for training and stress management in the department.

In this new series, The FireDawg Podcast crew discusses topics on their mind in more of a free-flow discussion format. This episode is focused on timing, opportunity, and preparation.