Wyatt Hoyt - Firefighter

Wyatt Hoyt was about 17 years old when he experienced his first structure fire.

He was a Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) Cadet at the time, the highest tier in the LAFD youth program pipeline, reserved for individuals serious about a career in fire. Hoyt joined the Cadets at 16, determined to reach his goal.

As Cadets, young firefighter hopefuls can embed with a local station and, after a year of experience, ride along to various incidents.

Rarely, though, is that incident a real structure fire.    

Hoyt recalled being with the crew at the grocery store when they received the call. He remembered everyone watching as the firefighters left their baskets behind, darted to the engine, suited up, and rolled out.

After an intense firefight, Hoyt was exhausted and overheated, but even more sure that he was meant to be a firefighter.

“That experience left a huge impact on me,” he said.  

“We always say we’re going to see people on the worst days of their lives. But what might be their worst day is our most trained-for day. We’re ready.”

Hoyt was ready from the first day he stepped into a fire station. As a toddler, he toured his local station, LAFD Fire Station 93 in Tarzana. Though he does not remember much, he recalls the awe he felt as a kid, even holding a chainsaw and rubbish hooks—with the oversight of trained firefighters, of course.

“Every little kid loves the fire department. I guess I just never grew out of it,” he laughed.

An anomaly among his entertainment-focused high school classmates, Hoyt did not have a strong network of peers pursuing fire service. Undeterred, he charted his own path and found the LAFD Cadet program.

While finishing high school, Hoyt was an active Cadet and completed his EMT requirement with the University of Southern California, Los Angeles (UCLA). As soon as he turned 18, he applied to the LAFD, the only fire department he had ever dreamed of joining.

He knew it was competitive. Mentors during his time as a Cadet and friends applying to different fire departments encouraged him not to put all his eggs in one basket. But Hoyt stayed focused on joining the LAFD.

Trusting his gut and driven by unshakeable hope, Hoyt started his first year at Colorado State University, flying back as needed for interviews and training programs like the Candidate Advancement Program (CAPS).

“Being a Cadet, I knew [LAFD] was the only department I wanted to work for. And thankfully, it worked out,” Hoyt shared.

After his second semester, as he decided to complete his four years and apply elsewhere, he received an email saying he had been accepted to the LAFD. Without a second thought, he headed back to Los Angeles to complete the Drill Tower.

His Drill Tower experience differed drastically from those before him, as his graduating class was the first to be cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“They told us we were hitting the field early,” Hoyt shared. “We had a bunch of sick members, and people were dying – it was a chaotic time.”

The following week, he and his classmates graduated six feet apart. Hoyt recalled having to pin his own badge, with no friends or family members present. More than anything, he was eager to get into the field and start saving lives, which he had dreamed of since his first visit to a fire station as a kid.

“As firefighters, we’re supposed to be ready for anything,” he emphasized. “But no one in the field had experienced anything like this before.” The expertise young firefighters normally get on the job from senior firefighters became everyone making the best decisions possible with limited information.

During the pandemic, and in his first year as an LAFD firefighter, Hoyt started at Fire Station 11 in MacArthur Park and later moved to Fire Station 64 in Watts, both of which were disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.

Despite the endless challenges, Firefighter Hoyt knew he was living his dream every time he sat in the rig and put on his headset. His Apparatus Operator at the time, Kevin Frank, would look at the Los Angeles skyline as they pulled out of the bay and say, “Wow, look at that skyline. What an opportunity.”

Hearing that at the start of many calls left a huge impression on Firefighter Hoyt and instilled a gratitude for this career that he carries with him today.

A testament to his early impact as a first-year firefighter, both Fire Station 64 and Fire Station 11 wanted him on their crew. Ultimately, Firefighter Hoyt returned to Fire Station 11, where he serves that same community today under the leadership of his now-Captain and deeply respected mentor, Kevin Frank.

For Firefighter Hoyt, the camaraderie of his crew and the chance to make someone’s worst day better keep him coming back every day. He wants to leave everything, from station life to each call for service, better than he found it.

“You have to control the controllables,” he emphasizes. In such a high-stress, dynamic job, focusing on training, preparation, and learning from senior firefighters and those with more experience is key.

He owes much of his experience to the Cadet program, which he encourages anyone seriously considering a career in fire to pursue. “The continuation of the Cadet program will benefit them not only in the fire department, but in life in general,” he says.

“Stick with the path, and it will set you up for success – in all avenues of life.”

Through all the challenges and even the naysayers, Firefighter Hoyt never envisioned another career for himself outside of serving Los Angeles as an LAFD firefighter.

“It’s a calling for me, not a career,” Firefighter Hoyt emphasizes. “I don’t have to show up to work every day; I want to show up for work every day. That’s why I’m here.”