Discussion Questions: How satisfied are people at your job (or in your future industry)?What is scary about your job or your future job?Do you think you would be a good firefighter?What’s important to consider when balancing risk and safety?How can you be heroic in your life?Does your job allow time and energy for a side-gig or paid hobby?Carlos C. Figueroa Carlos C. Figueroa is a career fire service professional with the Newark Fire Division, where he currently serves as a Deputy Chief’s Aide and has developed extensive experience in emergency operations, fireground safety, personnel accountability, training, and operational leadership. Carlos is a second-generation first responder. His father served in law enforcement as a Newark police officer, establishing a family tradition of public service that Carlos proudly carries forward. His mother built her career in real estate as a real estate developer and current state-licensed real estate broker, providing Carlos with early exposure to property investment, development, and entrepreneurship. Beyond the fire service, Carlos is an entrepreneur, real estate investor, developer, property manager, and construction professional. He is the owner of Figueroa Construction Company and has extensive hands-on experience in property acquisition, rehabilitation, construction management, real estate development, and the ownership and management of residential and commercial properties. His work in construction and real estate has led him to develop an increasingly specialized background in building and life safety. Carlos has pursued advanced education and professional credentials in construction code enforcement, building and fire protection inspection, environmental inspection, lead and asbestos safety, and life-safety compliance. His professional experience gives him a unique perspective at the intersection of public safety, construction, real estate development, property management, environmental safety, and code compliance. Carlos remains committed to continued education, mentorship, entrepreneurship, and creating opportunities through both public service and private investment. Above all, he is a dedicated husband and father who places family at the center of everything he does. Deputy Chief J. Kupko Deputy Chief J. Kupko is a veteran member of the Newark Fire Division whose career has been defined by service, leadership, education, and deep ties to the City of Newark. A second-generation Newark firefighter, Chief Kupko comes from a family with a longstanding tradition of public service and connection to the city. His father, a Vietnam veteran, served as a Newark firefighter, while his mother was an educator in Newark Public Schools. Following both of those examples, Chief Kupko has built a career that combines the fire service and education while continuing his family’s legacy of service to Newark. Born into a Newark family and raised with a strong connection to the city, Chief Kupko has spent his professional life serving the community his family has called home for generations. He worked his way through the ranks of the Newark Fire Division, from firefighter through the company officer (Captain), then Battalion Chief, and to his current position as Deputy Chief (Tout-commander.) Today, he commands one of the Division’s operational tours, carrying responsibility for personnel, companies, resources, emergency operations, and major incident response throughout the City of Newark. His rise through the ranks is backed by an unusually diverse operational career. Chief Kupko has served in some of the Newark Fire Division’s most highly respected, specialized, and operationally significant companies and assignments. Rather than experiencing the fire service from a single perspective, his career has taken him through virtually every facet of a large urban fire department. Among those assignments, he served as Captain of Newark’s Truck Company 5, leading firefighters in a demanding urban environment where strong company-level leadership, technical proficiency, and sound fireground decision-making are essential. His background also includes extensive involvement in Urban Search and Rescue, service within Newark’s UASI capabilities, qualification as a Hazardous Materials Technician, and numerous advanced fire, rescue, emergency management, and technical certifications. That breadth of experience has followed him into senior command. Having performed the job at nearly every level of the organization, Chief Kupko brings to his role as Deputy Chief the perspective of someone who understands firsthand what is expected of the firefighter, company officer, battalion-level supervisor, and incident commander. Training, mentorship, accountability, physical readiness, and the development of the next generation of firefighters have remained central themes throughout his career. Education represents another important part of his family's legacy. Chief Kupko holds a teaching degree and is a second-generation educator, following in the footsteps of his mother. His background as an educator has complemented his fire service career, particularly in his approach to training and developing personnel. For Chief Kupko, teaching is not separate from leadership. It is an important part of preparing firefighters to eventually become officers and leaders themselves. Outside of the Newark Fire Division, Chief Kupko is also an accomplished entrepreneur and the owner of CrossFit Bar Bending. Building and operating the gym has become a significant part of his professional life and reflects many of the same principles that have guided his fire service career: discipline, physical readiness, consistency, accountability, teamwork, and pushing people to reach standards they may not have thought possible. As a business owner and coach, he has created more than simply a place to work out. CrossFit Bar Bending represents a community centered on fitness, personal development, and shared accountability. His experience successfully balancing the responsibilities of senior fire service leadership with the demands of owning and operating a business further reflects the work ethic and commitment that have characterized his career. For all of his professional accomplishments, Chief Kupko remains equally proud of his role as a father. A devoted “girl dad,” family remains at the center of his life and continues the theme that has shaped his story from the beginning: generations of family, education, public service, and a lasting connection to Newark. From the example established by his parents, to working his way through the ranks of the Newark Fire Division, serving in some of its most respected companies and specialized assignments, becoming an educator, building a successful fitness business, and ultimately leading an operational tour as Deputy Chief, Chief Kupko’s career represents a continuation of a multigenerational legacy of service, leadership, and commitment to the City of Newark. Please send suggestions for future guests to projectlaborpodcast@gmail.com. Our instagram is @projectlabor. Leave a comment or question and we’ll be happy to answer. Music by Brotheration Records Project Labor is a 501c3 nonprofit organization incorporated in the state of New Jersey. All donations to Project Labor are tax deductible in accordance with the Internal Revenue Code. Help get the word out with a small donation here. Thank you.
