Nathan J. Trauernicht, CFO, MIFireE

Interim Fire Chief

University of California-Davis Fire Department

Gen Y—also known as Generation Y, Millennials, Gen Why and Net Generation—are those born between 1980 and 2000.

How did Nathan (Nate) Trauernicht get to be a Gen Y advocate?

There are two reasons: #1: Although at 30 Nate is chronologically a Gen Xer, his world views and actions are perfectly aligned with Gen Ys. #2: His deep interest and success with youth programs have given him first-hand experience in seeing how Gen Ys have the potential of building a phenomenal next generation of Fire/EMS personnel.

#1 World views and actions perfectly aligned with Gen Y.

One characteristic of Gen Ys that is sometimes considered a negative for a career in the fire service is their confidence and not believing that ‘paying their dues’ or a prerequisite number of years of experience are absolutes for success. Nate’s accomplishments demonstrate the very positive contributions that result when youthful ambition is combined with a commitment to ‘the greater good’.

For as long as Nate can remember he has wanted to be a firefighter. As soon as he turned 14, he joined Fire Explorer Post #888 in Lincoln Nebraska. He became post president and throughout high school worked every day after classes as an intern for Lincoln Fire and Rescue Department’s training division.

While getting his degree in Fire Protection and Safety Engineering from Oklahoma State University, Nate was a volunteer firefighter and moved up the ranks becoming the town-appointed fire chief at age 20. He also worked at IFSTA as a research technician for three years.

After graduating from Oklahoma State, Nate went to work for the Marysville Fire District in Washington. A promotional opportunity with the Oroville Fire Department initiated his moving to California. And from Oroville, Nate accepted UC Davis’ offer to be the department’s Assistant Chief of Operations & Training.

From the Marysville Fire District to Nate’s current position as Interim Fire Chief at UC Davis spans ten years and during this time he earned a master’s degree in public administration from the Keller Graduate School of Management, completed Wacbo’s Executive Leadership and Management Institute (ELMI) at Stanford University, and became the youngest Member of the Institution of Fire Engineers (MIFireE), and youngest to receive a designation of Chief Fire Officer® (CFO) by the Centers for Public Safety Excellence.

Nate currently serves as President of the California Fire Chiefs Association - Operations Chiefs Section and as an appointed member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs Human Relations Committee.

#2 First-hand experiences in seeing how Gen Ys have the potential of building a phenomenal next generation of Fire/EMS personnel.

“I owe the majority of my success in the fire service to the Fire Explorer program that got me started as a teenager. Rarely do people get the opportunity to give back like I was when offered the project of building a brand new Explorer Post for the Marysville Fire District. It was during my four years there that my special interest in youth programs in the fire service deepened.

“We created a multi-fire department Explorer’s Program and it had more girls than boys as members. We made that happen by getting girls in the door; making them feel accepted; letting them know that failure is part of the experience for all of us on the path to attaining performance, and we showed them other girls their age successfully doing what it takes to be a firefighter.

“Part of our secret to success was a mix of veteran and young program advisors—some of which were fairly new firefighters—who weren’t much older than the cadets. It was a non-threatening and supportive environment. The Marysville Fire District Foundation started a scholarship program. Because of this and the ground work that we laid, many of the girls went on to EMT, paramedic, and fire science programs.

“Coming to UC Davis I was once again offered the opportunity to interact with a group of young adults as part of the Department’s renowned Student Resident Firefighter Program. The difference here was that they were older, came from all over the country, and that some had joined never thinking previously about a career in the fire service.

“The common theme you will hear from our firefighters is that interacting with the students keeps them young and how the Student Resident Firefighters’ passion for the work rekindles theirs.

“UC Davis places great value and emphasis on diversity and inclusiveness. This has enabled us to build the Program with unprecedented access to a diverse pool of candidates.

“The on-going rotation of students having many different cultural influences has made UC Davis Fire a positive, open, and inclusive work environment for all of our employees.”