Bureau of Community Relations
RESCUE Mentor Profile

Troy Flath, L.A.Co.F.D. Engineer

As the father of three children, ages 7, 9, and 11, Los Angeles County Firefighter Specialist Troy Flath knows a thing or two about guiding a child through the difficulties of growing up. He has also served as a youth advisor for the Explorer program, in which young aspiring firefighters are groomed for success in their chosen field. So Troy didn’t hesitate to volunteer when he learned of the RESCUE Youth Program’s need for firefighter/mentors.

He’d been working in a low-income area and had seen the devastation caused by fathers who, to put it mildly, set a bad example -- or abandon their children and families altogether. "The problem with 99 percent of the kids who get into trouble is Dad," says Troy. As it happened, the first boy assigned to him in the RESCUE Youth Program came from just such a situation.

Israel was the youngest of 13 children. His father had returned to Mexico, leaving the family to fend for itself. Although his mother is a loving parent who works hard to do the best for her children, her resources are stretched painfully thin. At the time he first met Troy, Israel had attained a GPA of .05, which roughly translates to an F+ average. He was not involved in sports, nor any other school activity. As is the case with many young boys being raised without a male role model in the home, Israel was beginning to develop some behavioral problems to go along with his lack of academic success. He’d been in some fights, and was going truant more and more often.

Luckily for Israel, he has a mother who sees to it that he makes the most of whatever opportunities do come his way. So when a counselor at Nimitz Middle School referred Israel to the RESCUE Youth Program, his mother jumped at the chance, making sure her son was there on time and dressed appropriately.

At his first RESCUE session, Troy recalls, Israel was painfully shy. He made no eye contact with anyone at the station until about the third visit. But he was keenly receptive to everything his new mentor said to him about life inside a fire station, and about the conduct and level of achievement that would be expected of him. He began learning about the equipment that is so crucial to a firefighter’s work, the ropes, ladders, hoses and paramedic gear.

Of paramount importance to Troy Flath, however, was the boy’s schoolwork. Israel was in a bilingual education program, and his homework was in Spanish. Since Troy doesn’t speak Spanish, one of the other firefighters pitched in and helped out. In fact, Troy credits the rest of his crew with helping to turn Israel’s life around. Thanks to the help and support and caring lavished on him by his mentor Troy and the other firefighters, the boy is now maintaining a C average. He is playing soccer and basketball on the school teams. There have been no more fights, nor any more truancy.

Best of all, Israel now has a goal burning inside of him, where before there had only been hurt and alienation: he wants to be part of the Explorer program, and then a fireman.

There is a great deal of work to be done between now and then, but Troy is making sure Israel’s going to be ready. He can already put up a 16-foot straight ladder by himself, knows almost all the ropes and knots, knows how to take blood pressure, check pulses, put on breathing apparatus, and more. "He has to know every piece of equipment and what it’s for," says Troy, and Israel is on his way. In the process, he has discovered that he is a bright and likable young man. In one of his weekly reports for RESCUE program administrators, Troy writes, "I have been told by numerous firefighters that Israel is a joy to have around this station. He has a great attitude."

Through his work in some of Los Angeles County’s underprivileged areas, Troy has seen a world very different from the one he knew growing up, and the one he shares with his wife and children. He feels as if, in Israel, he now has another child, and one he must help to raise up out of poverty. "It would be like a golden crown to me if he got hired on as a fireman," says Troy. Through the RESCUE Youth Program, he feels that "We’re pulling some of these kids right out of the gangs; we’re getting some of them back."

It is because of mentors like Troy Flath that such miracles can happen. Somewhere, a golden crown is waiting.