With nearly five decades of protecting the community behind him, Rama Fire Rescue’s Elmer Tryon is retiring.
After joining the Gravenhurst Fire Department in 1977 at the age of 18, Tryon joined Rama Fire and Rescue in 1996, where he’s spent the past 28 years in a variety of roles.
“It's one of those things, it gets in your blood, and you just want to continue on and just help people,” Tryon, 65, told OrilliaMatters. “I remember when I first joined 47 years ago, and it seemed like an eternity, and then now that it's here you think back, where did time go so fast?”
After beginning in Gravenhurst as a firefighter, Tryon rose through the ranks and ultimately served as Rama’s long-standing fire prevention officer.
Tryon’s career was celebrated Friday afternoon as dozens of community members and local officials joined together at the fire department to thank him for his years of service. His peers agreed he’s a generous person who was ready to work “any time of day or night.”
Although helping the community has always been front of mind for him in his various roles, Tryon said his proudest accomplishment is watching his children grow up to serve their communities as firefighters.
The Tryon family has now been fighting fires across four generations, beginning with Elmer’s grandfather.
“When my kids — my two sons and my one daughter — when they actually became firefighters ... that's the highlight of my life,” he said. “They're following in their dad's footsteps, and I followed my dad's footsteps.”
His children — Aysha, Isaiah, and Jarrod — each carry on the family tradition at Gravenhurst Fire Department, and each credit their dad as a major inspiration for them.
“He was always my hero, watching him leave late at night, early in the mornings, everything. I always wanted to follow in his footsteps and impact the community the way that he always did,” said his daughter, Aysha, the first woman in the Tryon family to become a firefighter.
“It felt like a tradition for the Tryons to join the fire department when they got to the age of 18, and we just had so much pride growing up,” said Jarrod, who has since retired from firefighting.
For Isaiah, he hopes to see the tradition continue on with his own children, and recounted a time when much of the family was together on the same fire truck.
“One time our cousin was on, so all four of us were on at the same time — my dad, my cousin, my brother and I — and it was all four of us in the fire truck. It was the Tryon truck,” he quipped.
Tryon’s impact extends well beyond his family, with fellow firefighters and local officials thanking him for his tireless work in the fire department and the community.
“I think more than anything, when we talk about leading by example, that's Elmer,” said Rama Fire Chief Jeremy Parkin. “Always quiet, always humble in the work that he does, not just for Rama – (his) impact on so many others, it’s really hard to measure.”
Others agreed.
“I don't think that you realize the impact you've actually had on all of us, but in particular, I'd like to say the impact that you've had on me, you showed me the world of fire prevention and public education,” said deputy fire chief Ashley Noganosh. “Thank you so much for helping me to get to where I am and for making me who I am today.”
Rama First Nation Chief Ted Williams thanked Tryon for his years of service, and credited him for helping to get Rama where it is today.
“He’s a class one individual. He knows his stuff; he’s very professional … and he’s a large part of our development,” Williams told OrilliaMatters. “From a professional standpoint, we couldn’t be happier to have a guy like Elmer on our staff for all those years because he’s a good role model for others.”
With his career in firefighting behind him, Tryon said he’s looking forward to travelling with his wife, Cindy, and spending some time working in construction.
