The Firehouse Yak: James Jester – Survival for the New Fire Company Officer
Peter Matthews talks with Ocean City Volunteer Fire Company Chief James “Jay” Jester about how to survive the promotion to company officer. They talk about the common and surprising challenges news officers face and how to prepare for the new rank, where their responsibility grows as they supervise crews.
Jester shares how officers, whether from volunteer or career fire companies, become an integral part of the department’s structure both in the station and on the fireground. He outlines some of the most important traits new officers should have, skills they should already be well versed in and what key elements they can study to prepare for on their leadership journey.
The transition from buddy to boss is explored, often causing some unexpected challenges for new officers and he shares advice on how to move past that situation, plus understanding the responsibility an officer has to their firefighter’s families.
The two also talk about mental health for firefighters and the officer’s role in monitoring their members, plus mayday training and the importance of setting a list of situations that require a mayday being called.
Peter Matthews | Editor-in-Chief/Conference Director
Peter Matthews is the conference director and editor-in-chief of Firehouse. He has worked at Firehouse since 1999, serving in various roles on both Firehouse Magazine and Firehouse.com staffs. He completed an internship with the Rochester, NY, Fire Department and served with fire departments in Rush, NY, and Laurel, MD, and was a lieutenant with the Glenwood Fire Company in Glenwood, NY. Matthews served as photographer for the St. Paul, MN, Fire Department.
James L. "Jay" Jester
James L. “Jay” Jester is a volunteer assistant chief who serves on the Ocean City, MD, Fire Department as well as a career acting assistant chief with the Salisbury, MD, Fire Department. He is an instructor for the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute, who specializes in firefighter survival and the rescue technician disciplines. Jester is a special operations team leader and has served as a training officer. Articles that he wrote were published in numerous fire service periodicals, and he presented lectures for the Maryland State Firemen’s Association and Firehouse Expo.
