Battalion Chief · Author · Fix Your Firehouse

John Lovato.

20+ years in the fire service. I've watched good leaders get destroyed by toxic culture, bad systems, and supervisors who never should have been promoted. I built Fix Your Firehouse so they don't have to figure it out alone.

20+ Years on the job
10K+ Fire Leaders Reached
2 Published Books
🎙 Podcasts & Conferences
Get Free Coaching → My Story
John Lovato — Battalion Chief, Fort Myers Fire Department

Fort Myers Fire Dept

8 Stations · Battalion Chief

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Fix Your Firehouse · Lead From Where You Stand · Built In The Firehouse · Not A Boardroom · Fix Your Firehouse · Lead From Where You Stand · Built In The Firehouse · Not A Boardroom · Fix Your Firehouse · Lead From Where You Stand · Built In The Firehouse · Not A Boardroom ·
20+ Years Fire Service
8 Stations Under Command
10K+ Fire Leaders Reached
🎙 Featured on Podcasts & Conferences
John Lovato with crew post-incident — Fort Myers Fire Department
Post-incident · Fort Myers Fire Department · FMFD Battalion
About John

The fire service
deserves better leaders.

I came up through the ranks. Firefighter. Engineer. Captain. Battalion Chief — now leading leaders for the Fort Myers Fire Department in Fort Myers, Florida.

Along the way I watched toxic culture destroy good people, bad leaders crush great crews, and the fire service eat its own from the inside. I got tired of watching it happen without doing something about it.

So I wrote two books — Fix Your Firehouse and the Company Officer Logbook. I've spoken at fire service conferences, been featured on numerous podcasts, and built a leadership brand followed by over 10,000 fire service leaders — all while still running shifts.

This isn't theory. This is the job.


Start Free Coaching →
Free Email Coaching

20 Days.
20 Lessons.
One Better Firehouse.

A free email coaching series for fire service leaders who are done tolerating toxic culture and ready to build something worth serving in. One email a day. Zero cost.

  • Day 1

    Filling your creative tank as a fire service leader

  • Day 2

    The power of permission — giving yourself authority to lead

  • Day 4

    Crank out communication that gets action from your crew

  • Day 5

    Emotional triggers and how to control your craziness before it controls your crew

  • Day 7

    Why worrying about the shine of the truck is killing your leadership focus

  • Day 10

    The value of sweat equity — physical readiness as a leadership responsibility

  • Day 11

    How to handle the "I'll write you up" guy without becoming one

  • Day 15

    How to kick procrastination in the face and build daily leadership momentum

  • Day 17

    Meditation — yes, for firefighters. Here's why it works

  • Day 20

    Time management and the tools that actually work on shift

Start Today — It's Free

Get 20 Days of Free Coaching

One email a day. Built in the firehouse — not a boardroom.

100% free. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

John Lovato running command at incident scene
Fort Myers Fire Department

Still Running
Shifts. Still In
The Work.

Not retired. Not a consultant who forgot the job.
A Battalion Chief managing 8 stations — writing, coaching, and leading from inside the firehouse.

Fix Your Firehouse by John Lovato Jr

Get on Amazon →

COMPANY OFFICER
LOGBOOK

Daily planner for fire leaders

John Lovato Jr.

Get on Lulu — $25 →
The Books

Two Books.
One Mission.

Fix Your Firehouse is the leadership manual built for the fireground — practical, direct, and grounded in two decades of real experience inside a real fire department. Toxic teammates. Bad culture. Supervisors who lead through fear. Crews who have checked out. This book fixes that.

The Company Officer Logbook ($25) is the daily operational planner designed specifically for company officers. Built on how John plans his own firehouse day — structured, purposeful, and built to keep the job from getting away from you. Hardcover. Ships in 3–5 business days.

"Not theory. Not a Harvard business school framework. This is what works when you're standing in a firehouse trying to lead people who are counting on you to get it right."

Get the Logbook — $25 → Fix Your Firehouse on Amazon →
Online Course — Coming Soon

Fix Your Firehouse
Immersion Course

The complete system for building a fire service culture worth serving in. Everything in the book — and everything beyond it — in a structured online course you complete at your own pace.

🔥

Culture Change Framework

The step-by-step system for shifting culture from your position — at any rank.

🎯

Leadership Under Pressure

How to lead effectively when the fireground is on fire — literally and figuratively.

🛡️

Toxic Teammate Playbook

Identify, manage, and neutralize toxic teammates without destroying team cohesion.

📋

Communication That Works

Give direction that gets followed, hold people accountable without drama, and communicate up the chain.

🧠

Mindset & Regulation

Control your emotional triggers before they control your crew. Build the nervous system of a great leader.

⚡

1 Year Training Plan

A complete 12-month leadership development roadmap for fire service leaders at any rank.

$197 One-time investment
Coming Soon
Start Free First →
What Leaders Are Saying

The fire service
is responding.

This is the leadership content the fire service has been missing. No corporate fluff — just real talk from someone who actually lives this job.

Fire Captain, Southeast US 15 years in the fire service

I've read leadership books. I've been to seminars. Nothing hit like Fix Your Firehouse because it actually sounded like my firehouse.

Lieutenant, Midwest Department Email coaching subscriber

Day 5 on the emotional triggers changed how I run my shift. I shared it with my whole crew. This is the work that matters.

Company Officer 20 Day Coaching graduate
Speaking & Media

Bringing the message
to the fire service.

🎤 Conference Speaking

John has taken the Fix Your Firehouse message to fire service conferences — delivering the kind of straight talk that fire service leaders don't get enough of. No corporate fluff. Real lessons from someone still running shifts.

Orlando Fire Conference — 2019, 2020 & 2021
The Great Florida Fire School

Available for keynotes, workshops, and leadership sessions. Maximum 2 engagements per year.

🎙 Podcast Appearances

John has been a featured guest on fire service leadership podcasts — discussing toxic culture, leadership development, the journey from firefighter to Battalion Chief, and what it actually takes to fix a firehouse.

Leadership Conversations @ The Kitchen Table — Ep. 72
The Weekly Scrap — Firehouse Vigilance
The Standard Podcast — Episode 029

Available for podcast interviews and media appearances.

Speaking & Media Inquiries →
Get In Touch

Ready to Fix
Your Firehouse?

Start with the free 20 day coaching series. Or reach out directly — for speaking inquiries, department partnerships, or media requests.

Free Coaching → Email John