Board Member: Tyler Rush

Background & Inspiration

Tyler Rush's path into EMS started in college, where he got his first exposure through friends who were already in the fire service. He got involved there first, and then as more friends became EMTs with his local EMS department, he followed that path too. He quickly moved to Advanced EMT, and from there decided it was a career route. He applied to Black River EMS, went on to paramedic, and that journey has brought him to where he is now.

Career Path

Becky started at the EMR level and ten years later decided to upgrade to EMT. She also became a Traffic Incident Management Instructor and has pursued several trainings in peer support and mental health care for public safety members. Continuing education in EMS remains an ongoing priority for her.

Getting Involved with WEMSA

This is Tyler's first year on the WEMSA Board of Directors, having started in the summer of 2025. He knew a couple of current and past board members, and a past Chief who had also served on the WEMSA board encouraged him to apply to provide local representation. He had been initially delayed by family commitments, but reached a place and time in life to make it work and get more involved.

What excites Tyler most about being part of WEMSA is the advocacy provided for EMS. As a rural EMS provider, he sees firsthand the struggles with recruitment and retention and the challenge of helping others understand rural EMS as a whole. "WEMSA has the resources to make this apparent and lobbying for EMS to get more people interested in the EMS field — and that makes me excited to be involved."

Personal Connection & Impact

Tyler's favorite WEMSA event is the main conference, which he attended for the first time and really enjoyed. He valued the exposure to others, the mingling, meeting new people, hearing different perspectives, and the education. "There is a vast variety of topics covered," he says.

Looking Ahead

Going forward, Tyler mainly wants to help make a difference with EMS — and specifically rural EMS. He wants to be someone that other EMS providers can come to for the resources that WEMSA can provide. He also hopes to continue advocating for WEMSA as a whole, reinforcing that the training is invaluable, and working to ensure continued value in WEMSA and increase conference attendance.