The Firehouse Yak: Tyler Whittredge – Finding Your Identity in the Firehouse
Peter Matthews is joined by Saratoga Springs, NY, firefighter Tyler Whittredge to talk about firefighters’ finding their identities in the station, accountability and what makes a good firefighter.
Whittredge explains what he’s observed when it comes to members find their personality in a job full of Type-A personalities and how members can build each other through their strengths. Part of the process, Whittredge says, is by crews holding each other accountable on and off the fireground.
Whittredge talks about his time as a bunk-in firefighters near Syracuse, NY, and what led him to write the article, “What Makes a Good Firefighter?” which was published on Firehouse.com earlier this month. Focusing on that article, Whittredge explains what the “it” is that makes a firefighter a solid member of the crew, plus a discussion on personality vs. mentality.
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About the Author
Peter Matthews
Editor-in-Chief/Conference Director
Peter Matthews is the conference director and editor-in-chief of Firehouse. He has worked at Firehouse since 1999, serving in various roles on both Firehouse Magazine and Firehouse.com staffs. He completed an internship with the Rochester, NY, Fire Department and served with fire departments in Rush, NY, and Laurel, MD, and was a lieutenant with the Glenwood Fire Company in Glenwood Landing, NY. Matthews served as photographer for the St. Paul, MN, Fire Department and currently is a photographer for the Fort Worth, TX, Fire Department.
Tyler Whittredge
Tyler Whittredge is a firefighter/paramedic with the Saratoga Springs, NY, Fire Department who has 12 years of experience in the fire service. He has served in a variety of roles, including volunteer firefighter and firefighter/EMT with the U.S. Department of Energy. Whittredge is an adjunct instructor, a certified Confined Space Technician and an ITRA Level 2 rope rescue technician with Capital Technical Rescue. He holds an associate degree in fire science from Onondaga Community College.