ChatGPT for Fire Service Grant Writing: How Fire Departments Can Unlock Millions Through Smarter Grant Writing
Project Command
Grant writing is one of the most important and most frustrating tasks in the fire service. In this episode of Project Command, I break down my seven step grant writing process and show exactly how ChatGPT and other AI tools can support you at every stage. From identifying needs and aligning projects with funding priorities, to drafting narratives, strengthening justifications, and refining final submissions, AI can save time, improve clarity, and help you produce more competitive grant applications. This episode focuses on practical, real world use cases, not hype or theory. This is the fourth...
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ChatGPT for Fire Training Officers
Project Command
In this third installment of the AI in the Fire Service series on Project Command, we break down how fire training officers can use ChatGPT and other AI tools to improve training, organization, and program development. We start with a simple AI 101 overview to explain what artificial intelligence is and what it is not in plain language for the fire service. Then we dive into real world use cases for training officers, including: Building lesson plans and training presentations Creating drill ideas and multi company training evolutions Developing curriculum Supporting project management...
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ChatGPT For Fire Chiefs (2026 Edition)
Project Command
In this episode of Project Command we examine how fire chiefs and chief officers can use ChatGPT in 2026 as a practical decision support and executive productivity tool while maintaining professional judgment. We cover how AI can be used for targeted research to support strategic decision making policy development and revision and synchronizing complex documents across divisions agencies and governing bodies. The episode also explores using ChatGPT for data interpretation aggregation and structuring information so leaders can quickly identify trends risks and priorities. Finally we discuss how...
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Flash Points: When Chaos Reigns
Project Command
When chaos reigns, make your project an island of stability. Organizational chaos is not the exception in large systems — it’s the environment. Leadership changes. Priorities shift. Direction arrives late, inconsistently, or through side channels. In this Flash Points episode, Lieutenant Duke Cuneo breaks down why successful projects don’t wait for clarity from above — they create stability inside their own span of control. Drawing a direct parallel to complex incident management on the fireground, this episode focuses on how project managers can prevent organizational dysfunction from...
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Jared Vermeulen: Developing the Modern Fire Officer
Project Command
In this episode of Project Command, I’m joined by Jared Vermillion, author of The Modern Fire Officer, for a grounded conversation on what effective officer development really looks like in today’s fire service. We dig into the soft skills that matter most for officers, including leadership, communication, conflict resolution, coaching firefighters, and building trust within a crew. Jared shares practical insights on developing people, navigating difficult conversations, and creating an environment where firefighters can grow and perform at a high level. This episode is ideal for current...
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Flash Points: If You Don't Measure It, You Don't Control It
Project Command
If you don’t measure it, you don’t control it. On the fireground, measurement is non-negotiable. We track air, time, accountability, and benchmarks because guesswork gets people hurt. But too often, when we step into projects—that same discipline disappears. In this Flash Points episode, Lieutenant Duke Cuneo draws a direct line between fireground command and project management. Being busy doesn’t mean you’re making progress. Meetings, emails, and spreadsheets don’t equal control. Data does. This episode breaks down why most projects don’t fail dramatically—they quietly drift....
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Project Metrics for Fire Officers.
Project Command
In this episode of Project Command, we break down project metrics and how to use them to understand whether your project is actually on track. We cover what to measure, when to measure it, and how to turn data into actionable insight so fire officers and project leaders can make better decisions before small issues become big problems.
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Flashpoints: If It Isn't Assigned, It Isn't Going To Happen
Project Command
If it isn’t assigned, it isn’t going to happen. On the fireground, unassigned tasks don’t magically get done — and projects are no different. In this Flash Points episode of Project Command, Lieutenant Duke Cuneo breaks down one of the most common (and quietest) reasons projects fail in the fire service: lack of ownership. Not bad ideas. Not missing funding. But the dangerous assumption that “someone else is handling it.” Using clear fireground parallels, this episode challenges vague project language like “let’s circle back” and “someone should probably own this” — and...
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Alec Wons: What He Has Learned From Interviewing Over 100 Fire and Police Chiefs
Project Command
In this episode of Project Command, Captain Peter Younes sits down with Alec Wons to discuss the lessons he has learned from interviewing over 100 fire and police chiefs across North America. Drawing from those conversations, Alec breaks down the common patterns he has seen in organizational culture, leadership, and decision making that directly impact firefighter wellness and a department’s ability to get meaningful work done. The conversation explores why culture is often the deciding factor in whether initiatives succeed or stall, how leadership behaviors shape wellness far more than...
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Flash Points: The Future is Already Here
Project Command
Artificial intelligence is quickly becoming one of the most valuable tools in the modern fire service — not because it replaces people, but because it gives them back time. In this episode of Project Command: Flash Points, Lieutenant Duke Cuneo breaks down why AI is emerging as a practical, everyday force multiplier for firefighters and officers. Drawing from a recent Project Command conversation with Captain Peter Younes, this Flash Point explores how understanding what AI can actually do changes the way leaders approach project work, planning, and administrative load. From drafting memos...
info_outlineWhen chaos reigns, make your project an island of stability.
Organizational chaos is not the exception in large systems — it’s the environment. Leadership changes. Priorities shift. Direction arrives late, inconsistently, or through side channels.
In this Flash Points episode, Lieutenant Duke Cuneo breaks down why successful projects don’t wait for clarity from above — they create stability inside their own span of control.
Drawing a direct parallel to complex incident management on the fireground, this episode focuses on how project managers can prevent organizational dysfunction from leaking into execution.
You’ll learn how to:
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Lock scope clearly without becoming inflexible
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Establish a steady project cadence when everything else is moving
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Separate noise from legitimate change
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Document decisions to protect your project’s institutional memory
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Control communication so uncertainty doesn’t infect the team
This episode isn’t about blaming leadership or complaining about dysfunction. It’s about professionalism. Because chaos above you is not permission to run a sloppy project.
When everything around you feels unsettled, structure becomes leadership — and boring projects are the ones that finish.