About Brimstone Collective
We believe that to get the best out of each individual and build high-trust crews, you have to lead with strength and vulnerability. What some have referred to as a “pipe-hitter with feelings”, Brimstone’s founder and lead facilitator, Capt. Brett Porter uses his experiences in his over 20 year fire career, on leadership development committees, and in peer support to create systems, tools, and training courses for a more emotionally intelligent fire service.
Our Mission is Simple
“Build leaders who build crews who actually want to show up. If that’s the kind of culture you’re trying to forge, welcome to the fire.”
Meet
Capt. Brett Porter
Capt. Brett Porter has been in the fire service for more than 20 years, and for nearly a decade he has served as a fire captain. Capt. Porter has worked for multiple different agencies, giving him a broad perspective of what strong leadership actually looks like — and what happens when it fails. He is an Eagle Scout, a paramedic, and holds an associate’s degree in Fire Science. He also is a husband and a father to two boys who keep him grounded and remind him what kind of man he’s trying to be.
A defining moment in Capt. Porter’s career came from serving under a leader who made him question his love for the fire service for the first and only time in his life. That experience forged his why: no firefighter should ever hate their job. Brimstone Collective exists to protect that truth.
Capt. Porter is one of the founders of a group of smoke-eaters cheekily called “The Passion Ponies.” They created a rookie guidebook that set clear expectations and built accountability not just for new firefighters, but for the crews and captains responsible for shaping them. They paired it with a “Hitting the Line” class that helped rookies step onto the job with purpose, skill, and confidence.
He’s carried that same drive into officer development. Seeing gaps in how leaders were being prepared, Capt. Porter began teaching the curriculum he created at his department’s Officer Development School. More recently, he pushed forward the concept of a second-in-command role for the department’s Engineer Development School to strengthen mentorship and create a leadership pipeline.
Capt. Porter was also heavily involved in his agency’s Peer Support team for seven years. Alongside that work, he’s walked his own path with mental and emotional health — learning firsthand how stress, trauma, and leadership intertwine. Those experiences shaped his belief that good leaders don’t just sharpen skills; they create environments where people can stay healthy enough to thrive.
The Brimstone Collective is the result of more than two decades of firehouse reality, leadership wins, leadership failures, and hard-earned perspective. Capt. Porter and Brimstone’s mission is simple: build leaders who build crews who actually want to show up. If that’s the kind of culture you’re trying to forge, welcome to the fire.
“I don’t feel like this kind of training has ever been taught before. It gave a different perspective on the importance of empathy. I feel like it has given me confidence and techniques to approach discipline differently.”
“The Designated Adult course helped me recognize the issues we were seeing repeatedly in my department with better clarity and communication.”
“Boss Trauma is real! These courses helped me remember that being a boss is difficult especially when you have a firefighter who was not led well in the past. That memory of being mistreated and uncared for can really breed toxicity in a crew. Taking the Brimstone class solidified how important it is to be a good leader.”
“This course helped me better define my personal issues in leadership and clearly set goals to move forward.”
Services
Leadership Workshops
Brimstone’s workshops provide navigation for leaders in the fire service who may not have been able to articulate what was lacking in their leadership. These courses focus on the managing people aspect of being a leader. Leaders who take courses with Brimstone will be given real-world examples, tools, and skills to develop the courage it takes to be an effective leader and get the most from their crews.
Conference Speaking
Leaders in the fire service quickly realized almost all of the job is managing people. You could have every special tactical and technical training and certification in the book, but none of that matters when it comes to people. Being a good leader requires strength and vulnerability. And we have a no-bullshit, authentic approach to helping leaders in the fire service manage their people.
