Firefighter and Mentor Uncle at Same Station

JA Firefighter shares in his words how he and his hero become “brothers”

SAN MATEO, CA – Tyler Yukio Ikeda, 27, shares his journey on becoming a firefighter.

My upbringing was as many Japanese Americans: family oriented. There were not many months where I would not see my relatives for a dinner party or somebody’s birthday. There was always great food and stories but most important was the company I enjoyed it with. This is part of Japanese American culture I value most.

I have always had a strong sense of family from my first memory. Being Yonsei is always an interesting thing to contemplate as there are likely many traditions and skills that have been washed out as time has passed. Having said that, I believe there are many great things we have gained from it.

My parents always told me that there was no limit on what I could be, very much what one may think of as part of the “American Dream”. When you’re told that as a child your first thought may be “I think I’ll be a Jedi” (obviously that’s still the goal). However, as early as preschool I was always enamored by blue collar work. My parents have hundreds of pictures of me on Halloween dressed up as a construction worker, a policeman, and naturally a firefighter.

I would even visit my uncle at the firehouse and was given a jacket from his department with my name on it. I find that this is not uncommon for children. Many of them share that admiration that I had as a child. Like many, however, that dream can be snuffed out along the journey that is life. Between sports, school, and living in the Silicon Valley; somewhere in an office seemed to be where everyone was going. Being a firefighter disappeared somewhere but, looking back, everything I did was pointing me back in that direction.

Firefighting was first brought back to my attention when I met a man at a gym. We would speak every time he came in unbeknownst to me that he was a firefighter with Menlo Park. One day he mentioned he was having his retirement dinner and this was when I learned of his occupation. He told me that he thought the fire service may be a perfect fit and pointed me in the right direction. I also knew that my uncle was still a firefighter with San Mateo Consolidated.

With my interest peaked and my spirits high I reached out to my Uncle Eric and asked if I could come by his station to talk with him and his crew about possibly pursuing it as a career. Every step of the way he assisted me in taking the right path of action in order to become the most eligible candidate to be a firefighter. The process took about 3 and a half years before I had all the classes, certifications, experience, and most importantly friends that I needed.

The path consists at its base: EMT (emergency medical technician), fire science classes, and a state recognized fire academy graduation certificate. In order to be considered a good candidate however, it is wise to have time on an ambulance, continuing education, as well as volunteer time with a department. I have always thought of myself as someone with impeccable timing. Perhaps it is luck but there’s a saying in the fire service: “timing in everything” and I had that in the bag.

I took my EMT class and immediately upon graduating, spots opened up in San Mateo County for EMTs and got the job. I also became a volunteer/cadet with San Mateo Consolidated which I also was accepted into the day after I graduated fire academy. The day I was accepted as a cadet SMCFD (San Mateo Consolidated Fire Department) also opened interviews to only cadets.

I passed two interviews and was put onto a hiring list that would otherwise have taken years to get onto. Simultaneously a central services position opened with SMCFD as a mail runner which I was alerted to by my uncle. I interviewed for the position and was given the job. The mail run position in SMCFD was a two day a week job that entailed working under our fleet and facilities manager. I would deliver inter department mail in manilla envelopes, fix things in stations, and do other tasks given to me throughout the day. This was not the major draw for the position though; I was also given facetime with every crew at every station on every shift two days every single week. It is what we call a constant interview. Every firefighter would ask questions, ask favors, and generally would see if you were someone they could live 48 hours with.

My weeks consisted of this schedule for 1.5 years monday through sunday: ambulance, mail, ambulance, mail, ambulance, Cadet. I would take Sunday, the morning I got off from my 24 hour volunteer shift to prepare for the next week of exactly the same thing. For some this is exactly where Mr. Quit starts whispering in their ear. Many listen, but I knew this was where I was meant to be. This is part of becoming a firefighter and every single person you see with that badge did the same if not more than me to be where they are.

On December 20, 2022 the fire chief asked me to come into his office and I was sent to retrieve a manilla envelope for him. The contents sent me on a journey around HQ, a scavenger hunt, which ended with my offer letter of employment as a firefighter with San Mateo Consolidated. Needless to say, that was one of my favorite Christmases.

Once hired, there is a county academy one must pass in order to maintain employment. It is 16 weeks, 5 days a week, 9 hours a day of learning the basics of firefighting. There are skills, written, and physical exams throughout and one failure means termination. However, I was with 11 other people from other departments with the same goal as me and like I was raised we slowly took 12 individuals and turned it into a singular team all leaning on one another to pass.

Thankfully we all passed and got through the 16 weeks of grueling drills only to be faced with probation. This is different at every department but for SMC it is broken down into 5 “blocks” spread out across a year and a half.

Being on probation means you are now a “Probie” a title many dream of having not knowing what it entails. Being a probie means you are the last person asleep, first person awake, you clean every plate, toilet, and piece of flooring you see. You take shifts for people when they cannot work them, you know everything about every tool, on every rig, at every station down to where the bolt that holds it together is made of. You know every street and how to
most efficiently get the crew to every call not only within 5 minutes but also safely. You also need to know what to do on every type of call: medical aid, car crashes, cat in a tree, car lockouts, and obviously fires.

No call is ever the same. Its exciting, it makes you think, and you also have two other people with you that you depend on and they depend on you to do exactly what needs to be
done without anyone having to ask. It is a team game. My forte.

Working for SMC is perfect in my eyes. We are an all risk department serving our communities of Foster City, Belmont, and San Mateo with 9 stations, 10 engines, and 2 trucks. We also have fire engines that can go anywhere in the country to assist with wildfires, we provide the entire San Mateo County with our HAZMAT team, and we also have jet skis and a zodiac boat for water rescue. We show up on anyone’s worst day and our #1 priority is making it better. It is extremely fulfilling and in my opinion the best job in the world. Now add in the fact that I get to work with a family member.

My Uncle Eric and I would eventually be assigned to the same station a year and 1 month into my 18 month probation. Almost poetically it was the same station I would frequent and sit with him late into the night at the dinner table perfecting my interview questions, getting answers to my burning questions, and spending time together while I was trying to get hired.

This is SMCFD Station 26. I consider every firefighter at SMCFD family, however, working with an actual family member is doubly as fulfilling. Eric helped me throughout my journey many times and I reached out to him for his experience having a family member join in as a junior firefighter.

Uncle Eric proudly reflects on my path – “In looking back, when you said you were interested in becoming a firefighter, I sat you down like I would any other person who had interest and set out steps/goals you needed to complete, in order to make yourself more noticeable to departments you would be applying to. I left it up to you to accomplish those tasks, which you did (especially during covid). I told you of opportunities that were available here at SMC (Cadet program and mail run), but it was all you, when you got those positions. I wanted you to earn those positions on your own. My involvement was very minimal. You showed everyone that you are a hard worker and an eager learner, so you gained the respect from them. Now when you got the job offer, I’m not gonna lie, I wasn’t surprised but I was a little jealous that you were getting hired on your first try. I tested with 26 different agencies and it took me 3.5 years! I’m very proud of what you’ve accomplished and that we get to work together every so often. Being able to pass along things that I’ve learned so far in my 28 years to a family member has a different feeling for me. Although I want all our rookies/probies to excel, of course I’m biased towards family. I also add, it’s nice hearing from my peers how hard a worker and such a nice guy you are. I’m always hearing… Tyler always has a smile on his face!”

The journey for me was not especially easy but having family help and those around me believe in me was a great boost to those days you lose sight of the main goal. I would not
give this job up for the world and I cannot wait to help those that come after me in the same way everyone else helped me along my journey. If anyone has questions about the service or how to get started I am more than willing to answer and you can reach out to me on my email ikedatyler@gmail.com. A big thank you to NikkeiWest for allowing me to speak on this historic paper, and thank you all for reading my article. Together we are stronger.