Ep. 13 Beyond the Glass: Command, Accountability, and the Digital Fireground Video

Retired Fire Chief and Functional Fire Company author J. Scott Thompson joins Eddie Buchanan for a grounded discussion about building a culture that improves capability.

Training is not a classroom checkbox - it is an operational readiness system. Brian Zaitz breaks down how strong instructors, safe live-fire programs, and intentional training culture build crews that can perform when the fireground gets unforgiving.

In this special 9/11 edition of First Due Table Talk, Eddie Buchanan sits down with James P. Angerett, Director of Advisory Services at First Due and retired captain with the Joint Base Myer–Henderson Hall Fire Department. Angerett recounts responding as an acting company officer when American Airlines Flight 77 struck the Pentagon, the immediate decisions made amid extraordinary conditions, and the lasting impact of that day. He also shares lessons that still resonate with today’s fire service: trust your training, take care of your crew, and recognize that every response prepares you for the one you never expected.

Erin McGruder challenges the old lecture-heavy model and makes the case for realistic, hands-on, adult learning built around the work crews actually do. This episode is a practical reminder that every rep either builds capability or creates a training scar.

Matt Mullen, Vice President of AI Strategy at First Due, gives public safety leaders a practical starting point for artificial intelligence: policy, risk management, training, and disciplined use. The episode frames AI as another tool in the toolbox - useful only when responders understand its limits, guardrails, and operational purpose.