Starting with firefighting instruction in the U.S. Air Force to launching a national podcast on the importance of safe fire training, Jake Barnes has traveled a unique career path. Before finding his home in New Albany, Indiana in 2004, he served as a firefighter in Texas, Saudi Arabia and Kentucky. Now with 31 years of service, Barnes is pushing forward on every level with what’s important to him: preparing firefighters for their daily challenges.
Certified by the International Society of Fire Service Instructors (ISFSI), Barnes uses his personal time off to travel the country and teach other firefighters. He specializes in Fixed Facility and Live Fire Basement Fire classes. Teaching keeps him on the road for up to 15 classes a year.
“Continuous training that accurately duplicates real-life situations is critical for firefighters,” says Barnes, battalion chief of training for the New Albany, Indiana Fire Department. “These sessions have to be very realistic to work. Some of my best classes involve training on Fire Facilities towers. These structures are incredibly flexible and can be used for almost anything. I’ve never encountered better burn facilities.
“Fire Facilities towers are built for firefighters, by firefighters. They’re scalable and flexible. Firefighters I’ve worked with really like the buildings because they can be used for so many different types of evolutions.”
Stepping Up His Game
While on his path as an instructor, Barnes was inspired to contribute to the national conversation on training for firefighters. To give the topic a spotlight, he created the 3 Point Firefighter podcast in 2020. The podcasts can be heard on Audible, Apple, Spotify and Google.
With each podcast, Barnes interviews people involved in the firefighting industry. He focuses on the three key points of “Pride, Training and Physical Fitness.”
“I was so nervous about attempting this podcast that I tried talking myself out of it at least 100 times,” says Barnes. “In the end, I recognized that I want to be part of the conversation that helps firefighters across the country. If one firefighter gets a valuable tip from a podcast, then I’ve really accomplished something special.”
Looking Toward the Future
As Barnes advances his career with both in-field teaching and regular podcasts, he’s also looking toward the next steps for his career.
“2021 was a pivotal year,” says Barnes. “Fire Facilities, Inc. approached me to sign on as the first national sponsor of 3 Point Firefighter podcast. That brings lots of credibility to my show. I especially like that I train on their towers. We share a commitment to helping firefighters train the right way.”
Moving forwards Barnes has hopes for achieving a fire chief position …ideally in a location that fully supports training.
“There’s no going backwards on the issue of firefighter training,” says Barnes. “There’s only moving forwards. To me, that means better prepared responders who are ready for different scenarios. The more training, education and information a firefighter has before they actually respond to an alarm, the better the outcome will be for everyone involved.”
