Firehouse Talks with Jersey Rick: Igniting Leadership Excellence

In this episode, Jersey Rick and Emily recognize the 250th birthday of the United States of America. They not only talk about the signers of the Declaration of Independence, but they highlight the December 1774 tea party in Greenwich, New Jersey, the importance and privilege of our freedom, and discuss several historic sites in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. To learn more about Jersey Rick, the Fire...

In this episode, Jersey Rick interviews John Hilbrich coach, author of “Get to CEO”, and entrepreneur. After almost three decades as a CEO, entrepreneur and investor, John has navigated large and small organizations, struggled through recessions and successfully managed companies to success who were once drowning in poor management or deeply in debt. John has grown businesses organically and throu...

In this episode, Jersey Rick interviews Nicholas Dunagan, a U.S. Army combat veteran, certified personal trainer, and the Founder & CEO of Health4Heroes. With over a decade of leadership in the nonprofit sector, he has worked alongside veterans and first responders to strengthen long-term health and resilience. His background spans military service, business operations and management, health p...

In this episode, Jersey Rick and Emily talk about the leadership and lasting influence that an uncle had on Rick’s and how it changed the course of his life. To learn more about Jersey Rick, the Fire Officer Leadership Academy, and how we can help you develop as a professional, visit our website at https://www.fireofficerleadershipacademy.com or send an email to rick@fireofficerleadershipacademy.c...

In this episode, Jersey Rick interviews retired U.S. Marine Corps Colonel Paul Callan who is the Chief Strategy Officer for the San Diego based aerospace company, PKL Services, Inc., where he leads strategic performance for the company. Paul discusses his career in the Marine Corps, addresses heroic leadership, the importance of virtue, and leadership challenges, development, and growth. Additiona...

In this episode, Jersey Rick and Emily discuss Chapter 8, Disappointment , from Rick’s book, The Furnace of Leadership Development. Disappointment is a universal emotion and is often not written about, not discussed in leadership seminars, and the impacts are often misread in organizations as someone who is “checked out.” Listen to this episode as Jersey Rick and Emily discuss disappointment and h...

In this episode, Jersey Rick interviews retired Fire Chief Dr. Rich Gasaway, a subject matter expert on situational awareness (SA) and decision making under stress. Dr. Gasaway talks about his research path and the various impacts that SA has on decision making at the scene of an emergency. To learn more about Jersey Rick, the Fire Officer Leadership Academy, and how we can help you develop as a p...

In this episode, Jersey Rick and Emily discuss Dr. Tim Elmore’s acronym ALEG: asking, listening, empathizing, and guiding as it applies to a firefighter who asked the question of his lieutenant, “Why do I have to clean the toilets?” To learn more about Jersey Rick, the Fire Officer Leadership Academy, and how we can help you develop as a professional, visit our website at https://www.fireofficerle...

In this episode, Jersey Rick and Emily interview Robin Baker, a Society of Human Resource Managers-certified HR professional. She is a certified trainer through The Bob Pike Group and a certified facilitator for Working Genius. They discuss the relationship between culture and leadership and common misconceptions about the human resources department. Robin’s website is https://www.the-people-facto...

In this episode, Jersey Rick interviews Dr. Burton Clark about firefighter safety, injuries, and deaths. Burt has been in the fire service for 45 years. He was a firefighter in Washington, DC, Assistant Fire Chief in Laurel, MD, and the Management Science Program Chair at the National Fire Academy in Emmittsburg, MD. In 2021, Burt was inducted into the National Fire Heritage Center’s Hall of Legen...

February 12th is Abraham Lincoln’s 217th birthday. In this episode, Jersey Rick and Emily look at our 16th President’s leadership and discuss character before rank, building strong teams, and learning from failure. To learn more about Jersey Rick, the Fire Officer Leadership Academy, and how we can help you develop as a professional, visit our website at https://www.fireofficerleadershipacademy.co...

In this episode, From the Badge to Business , Jersey Rick interviews Hannah Gleditsch a former Loveland, Colorado police officer and now the owner of Colorado Coffee in Loveland. Rick and Hannah talk about her career, leadership, PEER support, and the transition from a high risk, dynamic career as a police officer to a business owner. To learn more about Jersey Rick, the Fire Officer Leadership Ac...

In this episode, Jersey Rick and Emily interview Christian “Boo” Boucousis is a former fighter pilot, bestselling author, inspirational speaker, and the CEO of Afterburner, a global leadership and human performance company that helps leaders and teams turn chaos into clarity and execution. As a former Royal Australian Air Force fighter pilot, Boo brings a unique perspective on leadership, precisio...

In this episode, Jersey Rick and Emily talk about Rick’s book, The Furnace of Leadership Development. Rick and Emily discuss the story behind the book, why this leadership book is different than others, the self-publishing journey, Rick’s favorite chapter, and what was Rick’s most difficult chapter to write. To learn more about Jersey Rick, the Fire Officer Leadership Academy, and how we can help...

In this episode, Jersey Rick completes the interview with retired fire chief Arjuna George who served with the Salt Spring Island Fire Department in British Columbia, Canada. Chief George is the host of the podcast Beneath the Helmet , author of Burnt Around the Edges , co-author of Survival Burnout , and owner of Silver Arrow Coaching. In this interview, Chief George talks about the importance of...

In this episode, Jersey Rick and Emily talk about Leadership in the Hot Zone: dealing with generational issues in the fire station and work place. They discuss recent surveys related to employee engagement, the different personalities in the workplace, and how that connects to personnel issues. Jersey Rick and Emily also refer to Dr. Tim Elmore's book, A New Kind of Diversity, Making the Diff...

In this episode, Jersey Rick and Emily interview retired Fire Chief, Coach, and Author Arjuna George. Chief George talks about his career, leadership, burnout, and his book Burnt Around the Edges . Both of his books,  Burnt Around the Edges and  Leading the Charge: A Firefighter's Approach to Resilient Leadership  (co-authored with Les Karpluk) are available on Amazon. To learn more about Jer...

In this episode, Jersey Rick interviews Jerry Maclin, a retired U.S. Army officer, former senior pastor, speaker, coach, and author of eight books. Jerry speaks about toughness, resilience, building teams, fostering culture, and the importance of having a mentor. To learn more about Jersey Rick, the Fire Officer Leadership Academy, and how we can help you develop as a professional, visit our websi...

In this episode of Firehouse Talks with Jersey Rick, Rick and Emily interview retired Minnesota Fire Chief Wayne Kewitsch. We discuss his work with the Minnesota Firefighter Initiative, his involvement with the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games as the Emergency Operations Director, and Chief Kewitsch's incredible story of survival from more than one cardiac event. To learn more about Jersey Ric...

In this episode of Firehouse Talks with Jersey Rick, Emily interviews Rick and talks about his career path in the fire service, his military service in both the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Marine Corps, and his business, the Fire Officer Leadership Academy. To learn more about Jersey Rick, the Fire Officer Leadership Academy, and how we can help you develop as a professional, visit our website at http...

In this episode, Jersey Rick and Emily interview their first guest, Chris Robinson, executive vice president of the Maxwell Certified Leadership Team. Chris discusses the challenges facing leaders today, mentorship, the importance of having a roadmap for leadership growth and development, his new book, From Drift to Drive: A High Achievers Guide to Breaking the Chains of Complacency , and much mor...

In this final episode in the series on Dual Footprints: Becoming a World Class Mentor, Jersey Rick and Emily discuss the vital link between character, integrity, and accountability, and the impact that has on both the mentor and the mentee. To learn more about Jersey Rick, the Fire Officer Leadership Academy, and how we can help you develop as a professional, visit our website at https://www.fireo...

Jersey Rick and Emily continue the series on Dual Footprints: Becoming a World Class Mentor and in this episode discuss how showing up is not good enough, they address John Maxwell's The Law of Intentionality, facing feedback with humility, the inner work of development, and the two-way transformation. To learn more about Jersey Rick, the Fire Officer Leadership Academy, and how we can help y...

In this episode, Jersey Rick and Emily continue the series on Dual Footprints: Becoming a World Class Mentor. They address the importance of active listening, how listening is a form of respect, creating a listening environment, and how listening leads to learning. To learn more about Jersey Rick, the Fire Officer Leadership Academy, and how we can help you develop as a professional, visit our web...

In today's episode, Jersey Rick and Emily continue the series on how to become a world class mentor. Episode 39 discusses a commitment to slaying the ego. In the next three episodes they will address a commitment to listening, growth, and accountability. To learn more about Jersey Rick, the Fire Officer Leadership Academy, and how we can help you develop as a professional, visit our website a...