Matthew started his Fire and EMS career in the US Army. He worked with the Special Forces medics in the training of Green Beret Soldiers at Fort Bragg North Carolina. Matthew attended Fayetteville Technical College and got his National Certification as an Emergency Medical Technician in 1983.

After the Army, Matthew moved back to Otego New York in 1983 where he became a NYS EMT and taught CPR and first aid for the American Red Cross. In 1984, he joined the Otego Fire Department where he began his fire and incident command training. In 1988 Matthew was elected to the position of Squad Captain which he held until 1993 when he moved to South Carolina.

Matthew moved back to New York and in 2011 and joined the Campville Fire Department. He recertified as a NYS EMT and continued his training in Fire Police, Automobile Extraction, Clandestine Drug Labs and School Bus Extraction, to name a few. He held the position of Vice President and Squad Lieutenant with the Campville Fire Department.

In 2017, he moved to Syracuse and joined the Belgium Cold Springs Fire Department where he was elected as President in 2019 and served until 2022.