Tyler Tays achieved his dream in May when he took his place among some of Clark County’s bravest.

Clark County Fire Department’s youngest member finds happiness doing his best to help others on the worst day of their lives.

Tays has served in the Kentucky National Guard since 2016, joining right out of high school, where he first grew interested in becoming a firefighter through the Clark County Fire Department’s Explorer Program.

After working as a military police officer in the Virgin Islands, he realized he liked being a firefighter better.

Now working part-time with Powell County EMS, the 21-year-old took a moment to talk with The Winchester Sun about his service to county and country.

Winchester Sun: How did you get interested in becoming a Firefighter?

Tyler Tays: Back in 2012, there was an Explorer program the Clark County Fire Department started, and I was interested in that, and I did that through high school. It made me more curious about the fire service and the other emergency services.

WS: What is the Explorer program?

TT: The Explorer program is a program through the Boy Scouts of America that is basically a club for job shadowing. The police department has an Explorers program and our fire department hosts an Explorers program for anybody who may be interested in being a firefighter when they come of age.

WS: How did you learn about the Explorer program?

TT: I believe it was from somebody from school. I was a freshman in high school.

WS: How did you go from doing that in high school to joining the National Guard?

TT: I think it was all with still wanting to serve your community, your country. I guess just a big call to serve.

WS: Why is that so important to you?

TT: I think it’s just a calling for some people that want to serve, whether it be in the military, fire service, police service, ambulance service. Something that gives back to the public and in some way that you can help out the public and I enjoy doing that.

WS: What has been the hardest thing that you’ve had to overcome to help somebody?

TT: Anytime you have to work some incident that involves children or something, it’s always hard on any first responder. You often can see signs of neglect sometimes, and that’s not just with this service that was also with Powell County EMS, working UK EMS when I was on the neonatal, pediatric ambulance.

WS: What kind of experience have you gotten since you started working with the fire department?

TT: We run anything from vehicle accidents to of course fire suppression, educating the public, going to schools and teaching kids about fire safety or maybe just showing them the trucks. Water rescue training, large animal rescue training. There are all kinds of things that we do here in the fire service.

WS: So, what made you want to be so involved with helping people?

TT: Really, I just had an interest in being a fireman. I never knew I would be able to help as many people as I have. That’s rewarding to have been able to do that and help the community that you have grown up in.

WS: How does it make you feel when you’re working with kids, and they tell you they want to be firefighters when they grow up?

TT: It makes you feel great, especially if you go and teach them stuff about basic fire safety and you see how they’re amazed at maybe just looking at the truck or just honking the horn or something. And you give them a little plastic fire hats and all of a sudden, they all want to be firefighters now. It feels great.

WS: What is the most rewarding thing about your job?

TT: The most rewarding thing probably in my job is being able to help people on what could be the worst day of their lives and knowing that I can try and do something to make that a little bit better. That makes me feel a little bit better.