Atlanta welcomes new firefighter

The Atlanta Fire Department rarely has an open position, and when it does, many candidates compete for the coveted spot. With its newest hire, Tyler Rutledge, the department gained an aptly qualified firefighter and EMT-Paramedic and a special distinction for the entire department.

Rutledge is one of 14 firefighters currently on staff, and for the first time in the department’s history, each is, at a minimum, double certified as firefighter and EMT.

According to Chief Robin Betts, this too is rare and what makes the Atlanta Fire Department exceptional.

Betts added, “That’s a huge achievement. We even have some even some that are triple certified, having their law enforcement on top of that.”

Rutledge recently passed his EMT-Paramedic exam for which he spent much time preparing. Texas has five levels of certification for emergency management technician, and EMT-Paramedic ranks second.

Born at Fort Bliss in El Paso to a military family and raised in East Texas, Rutledge joined the Air Force when he was just a 16-year-old junior at Hooks High school from which he graduated in 2011.

He explained, “I had to have my parents’ signature, so two months after high school graduation I left for basic”

Rutledge enlisted active duty and left the Air Force as a Staff Sargent after six years of service to move back home to East Texas. There he enrolled in the Fire Academy at Texarkana College in August of 2017 and graduated the following December. Shortly thereafter, Rutledge enrolled in Emergency Medical Technician school, also at Texarkana College, in January 2018. He completed his training in April of the same year.

Rutledge has lived in Atlanta for two years with his fiancée and Atlanta-native, Macey Allen, and the two have no plans to leave. He said, “I like it here.

We like it here’ it here’ Rutledge expressed his pride and appreciation for the community and said of the residents, “I feel like they appreciate us. I want to help them and be for them in their time of need:’