191. Professional Development - Auggie Matt

Sometimes opportunity presents itself and you have to just have to believe and go all in. Coming off the line for a year and taking a staff position, Lt. Auggie Matt of the Syracuse, NY Fire Department loves working the streets. Prior to being promoted, he was the senior driver of the Rescue and really liked where he was at. But when the Chief asked him to take on a new project with another Lieutenant, he went all in. Creating the Syracuse Fire Department's Professional Development Program was an opportunity to change the trajectory of the department. Creating a blueprint for the membership in both horizontal and vertical applications, Auggie knew how game changing such an endeavor could be. Having a department and administration that believes in the promotion of their people, they provided the tools necessary for firefighters and officers alike to further their education within the fire service. It is not uncommon to have firefighters talking about the courses they're taking or asking questions about the next class coming up. This environment is buy in from the top down and the bottom up. Giving each member the ability to further themselves creates a healthy environment where the attitude is to be better. It's not surprising that Auggie saw the importance of this process. As a student of the fire service, he knows the importance of history and speaks regularly about the early days of the department. He is the owner of Take The Door Training and he runs the annual Heavy Rescue Conference in Syracuse, NY each September. His love of the job and passion for pushing the job forward is evident in everything he touches. The job is good and people like Auggie work hard at making sure it stays that way. -- Check out www.takethedoor.com for moori information about Auggie, his training company and the Heavy Rescue Conference.