Jim McNamara hosts this episode of the Leadership Under Fire Optimizing Human Performance Podcast. Jim is a senior Firefighter at the FDNY and serves as a Human Performance Advisor for LUF. He’s also the principal author of the Leadership Under Fire Senior Man’s Performance Journal. Our guest in this episode, Jerry Smith Jr., is a Firefighter with the Baltimore City Fire Department (BCFD) currently assigned to Rescue Company 1. He was previously assigned to Truck Company 15 and entered the fire department in 2004. Jerry grew up in suburban Philadelphia, which is where his fire service career began as a volunteer. He is a member of the BCFD Dive Team and serves as the public safety scuba instructor. Jerry was also a member of the Central Maryland Urban Search and Rescue Task Force 2. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Loyola University of Maryland. Currently, Jerry is involved with the UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute in their three year study of Fire Service Residential Home Size-up and Search and Rescue Operations serving as a member of the technical panel. Jerry has been actively involved with Leadership Under Fire since its inception in 2012.