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Meet Your Neighbor: Meet The Neighbor – Warren Whitney
By Callie Thomas
It takes courage to know what you want and to take the steps to make it happen. While Warren Whitney was in college, he knew what he didn’t want. The 89012 resident was interning at a local advertising agency while attending UNLV and discovered that he didn’t want an “office job” but rather an opportunity to be active outside of the office and serve the public. After testing to be in fire services, his career path was set in motion and he’s never regretted that decision. The native Las Vegan is currently a captain/paramedic with the Clark County Fire Department. Through determination, he worked his way up through the ranks, first as a firefighter, then firefighter/paramedic, engineer/paramedic and now captain/paramedic. Even today, Warren still runs EMS calls, which accounts for about 85% of their call volume, but that wasn’t enough.
Warren is also currently president of the Southern Nevada Firefighters Burn Foundation (SNFBF; www.theburnfoundation.org) which provides assistance to burn victims and their families as well as at-risk children that are identified by local fire agencies. They are there for those involved in catastrophic events and act as a resource to fire agencies and the community while also creating awareness of fire and life safety. The organization’s annual Toy Drive helps nearly 40 charities and government organizations, schools and churches each year. Last year, they reached over 17,500 kids. Under Whitney’s presidency, the SNFBF teamed up with MDA and raised over $120,000 by coordinating volunteers from the Clark County Fire Department. Warren Whitney shares his passion for serving the community, the SNFBF’s upcoming Karaoke Challenge and why he and his brethren of firefighters strive to make your life better every day.
What inspired you to become involved with the SNFBF?
“I appreciate and respect what they do. When I first approached past president Nino Galloway about becoming a member, all I knew was that they collected toys and handed them out to needy kids for Christmas and helped burn victims that had been treated at UMC Burn Center. But having been on numerous house fires and seeing how people’s lives were devastated, treating burn victims from these calls and seeing them in the hospital dealing with the agony they endured while going through their debridement, I felt I had to help.”
You must have a sense of pride knowing that you’re making a difference for the people of our community.
“It feels good to help out people who are less fortunate, especially the kids who are dealing with things that are beyond their control through SNFBF. As a firefighter and paramedic, it’s an extremely dynamic environment. You can train and train, but there’s always something that pops up and requires you to respond in a timely manner. Even on the EMS side of things, we run into situations that are sometimes mind-blowing. It can make you feel good just by helping.”
You’ve decided to bring back the Karaoke Challenge to benefit SNFBF this month?
“Yes. It will be at Ri Ra at Mandalay Place and each fire department puts teams together and is judged on performance, costume, most original concept and so on. The participants really take this seriously and it’s fun to watch. We use the event to kick off our annual Toy Drive and as it’s right around Halloween, the costumes are pretty interesting!”
You’re happy you chose to be a firefighter/paramedic?
“People don’t call the fire department because they are having a great day and want to say hi. In most cases, they call us because they are having the most traumatic day of their lives. Whether it’s being on call with the department or helping the Burn Foundation, our motto is “Our Family Helping Yours.” It’s great to see people smile when we affect their lives. That’s the best reward.”
