After growing up in a Marine Corps family, Tiege Downes enlisted out of high school. As a Marine in a scout-sniper platoon, he deployed overseas and expected he’d go to college after his active-duty ...

Anyone who works in or has been around the fire service has noticed that attracting and retaining firefighters has become one of the biggest challenges in the field today. In 1995, when I first exited ...

The fire service is an inherently challenging and dangerous profession that demands an elevated level of skill, knowledge, and teamwork. In this environment, coaching and mentoring play crucial roles ...

The forecast for a hotter-than-normal summer has Westerners on edge, especially with up to a quarter of all U.S. federal wildland firefighter jobs currently unfilled. Summer fire season is almost here ...

In 2015, I transitioned to fire chief of the McKeesport, PA, Fire Department. I had ideas to move the department forward but quickly realized that I lacked the tools to implement them effectively. Yes ...

Kristopher Blume explains why firefighter retention is hampered significantly when leaders micromanage, manipulate emotionally and break the bond of trust. Authoritarian fire department leadership ...