Before dawn or in the middle of a busy day, Matik Heskin and Adam Boland might drop everything at a moment’s notice. 

One minute, they’re doctoral students at Missouri S&T. The next, they’re volunteer firefighters with the Rolla Rural Fire Department. 

Whether they’re researching extreme environments in the lab or responding to emergencies in the field, the two friends and roommates have built their lives around heat, pressure and quick problem solving. 

“It’s one of those things I wouldn’t have gone off and done on my own,” Boland says. “It’s nice to have a friend to go with.”

Igniting a dream

Boland, from St. Louis; and Heskin, from Weston; both originally came to S&T for undergraduate degrees in aerospace engineering. 

As a doctoral student, Boland still studies aerospace engineering with an interest in hypersonic vehicles and using computer simulations to determine how spacecraft can enter atmospheres like those on Mars and Venus.

Heskin made a switch to mechanical engineering as a doctoral student.  He researches high-temperature materials used in things like turbine engines and hypersonic vehicles. Heskin is also a Kummer Innovation and Entrepreneurship (I&E) Doctoral Fellow.

They became friends while undergraduates and members of the Aviation Design Team. After hanging out several times during the team’s social get-togethers, they became closer during senior year.  The pair started rock climbing together in the Rolla area, sometimes with the S&T Climbing Club, but mostly just the two as friends. 

As children, both Boland and Heskin wanted to become firefighters. 

“It was something I always thought was cool, and I never grew out of it,” Heskin says.

One day, the two were driving back to Rolla from a climbing excursion when firefighting came up in conversation. After chatting about it for a while, they decided to volunteer together.

“I don’t know if I would have done this by myself,” Heskin says. “Now, I can’t imagine not doing it. I owe it all to him.”

Answering the call

Boland and Heskin started their firefighting duties during their second year of graduate school in October 2024. They never know what day or time they will be called to serve.

“It’ll be 2 a.m., a call will come out. I’ll hear footsteps down the hall. I’m throwing clothes on. He and I both rush out of the door. We scale down three flights of stairs as fast as we can, hop in one of our cars and drive across town,” Heskin says. “We’re doing a lot of the same things. We’re jumping on the same calls. We’re riding the truck together.”

Within their first month, the pair responded to a grass fire and a structure fire. Since the friends often respond together, they joke about somehow ending up on opposite sides of the scene despite arriving at the same time. 

“It’s an inside joke that we show up at the exact same time and somehow within 10 seconds, we’re on opposite sides of the building doing different things,” Heskin says.

They attended the Rolla Regional Fire Academy and achieved state certification.

“I think for both of us at this point, we probably pick up a shift at least once a month, maybe a little more or less often, depending on what’s going on,” Heskin says. “This month, he and I worked at least 24 to 48 hours, so we pick up when we can to fill in while doing our grad school research at the same time.”

Developing new skills

As a Kummer I&E Doctoral Fellow, Heskin has learned valuable skills. 

“I came into the Kummer I&E Fellowship more from a leadership perspective,” Heskin says. “I don’t know if I would want to be a business owner, but I do like the idea of leading teams or leading groups.”

Drawing from years of experience with the Miner Aviation Design Team, he led the student team as president during his first year of graduate school, Heskin says the fellowship has helped him build confidence in management and public speaking. Through programs like I-Corps, the Startup Challenge and research presentations, he has learned how to explain ideas to a broader audience.

That skill has also influenced the way he talks about volunteer firefighting and the staffing shortages many rural departments face. Heskin says many people don’t realize volunteering is an option, which leaves small departments struggling to respond to calls.

Heskin says the fellowship has also put him into close contact with similar-minded people with a strong drive towards the real-world application of their research.

“Without something grounded, it can be very easy to get lost in day-to-day progress and lose track of the big picture,” he says.

Giving back

Boland’s career goal is to move to the East Coast to become an aerospace engineering researcher with NASA. He especially wants to work on planetary entry simulations for missions to places like Mars, Venus and Saturn’s moons. For Heskin, his career path remains open — he may go into academia or a national lab.

However, no matter where they end up, they would both like to continue volunteering as firefighters. 

“The thing with fire that I love is that in the end, it’s not about me. In the end, it’s about the community. We do it for others,” Boland says. “I may get a lot out of it, but it’s really about trying to help and where I can.”

Heskin and Boland say they don’t have the “secret” to balancing their responsibilities as firefighters and Ph.D. students.  Anyone with a career and determination can volunteer.

“Seeing it as a possibility is good, especially with the S&T community,” Boland says. “It is possible to balance school and fire. There’s a path there, and a way to get involved.” 

Heskin says the easiest way to start is to just put in an application.

“If someone’s thinking, ‘I don’t know anybody there. I don’t know if I’m going to fit in,’ well, you’re almost certainly going to,” Heskin says. “There’s all types of people. You make friends. The only way to start is just by doing it. Then you can figure out the rest later. Anyone can help.”

To see more photography related to this article, go to focus.mst.edu.