des·tined, adjective; to direct, devise, or set apart for a specific purpose or place. As defined by Merriam-Webster.
Destined is the only way to describe the McCarthy boys and their path to becoming first responders. What began with Joey continues with his son’s Dreyton and Deydren, and for all of them, it started with the allure of lights and sirens.
Joey, Dreyton, and Deydren McCarthy were born servants, and between all three, they serve three first responder departments; law, fire, and medical.
“It was the fascination of the sirens when I was a boy,” said Joey, a detective with the Lamar County Sheriff’s Office and father to Dreyton and Deydren.
Joey said his family was mostly blue-collar, his dad worked in local industries around Paris, while his mother worked as a nurse. So as a boy, it was the sirens of the fire truck and the lights of the police car that captured his imagination.
“I originally wanted to be a fireman,” he said with a chuckle. “But it was when I started interacting with the officers at Paris High School where I attended that piqued my interest to be a police officer.”
For Dreyton and Deydren, it was a similar road, where not only did their father inspire them from a young age, it was also that unique allure of the flashing lights and sirens that would secure their future desires to serve their community.
Inspired by his dad as he got older, Dreyton began his journey toward certification towards his career as a firefighter.
“I was 12 or 13-years old; Dad was on volunteer at the time, and I saw a fire truck at an event one day with the lights and everything on it and I was like man that is cool! I knew I wanted to be on a big truck like that, and the firefighters told me to come on over and have a ride,” Dreyton said.
To pay for the fire Academy, Dreyton worked part-time after he graduated high school and sold his truck for enough money to be able to cover tuition.
For the youngest McCarthy, Deydren, he said it was watching both his dad and his brother that pulled him into the job he loves.
Originally, he also set his sights on becoming a fireman, and watching his brother go through the process helped steer himself onto the path he eventually took.
“I saw the long hours with his [Dreyton] study; I saw the ups and downs that he had through his time at the academy. So for me, I figured I get the hardest part out of the way first, and that’s where I began my journey with EMS,” Deydren said.
“I’m proud of the careers both my boys took,” said Joey adding that he only had two requirements as a parent; to get a qualification of some kind, and to not join the law enforcement route like him.
“Being a cop is very rewarding, but the job has changed, and there is a real danger that as a parent and an officer, I didn’t want my kids to have to be in that consistent high-risk line of work,” Joey explained.
Not only do they strive to inspire each other, but they also aim to inspire those around them.
“Being there to help someone in need is very rewarding,” said Deydren. “It can be at their worse possible moment that they need us, or it could be someone that has fallen at home that needs help to get back up, no matter the call I think for all of us being the one to help someone is the most rewarding feeling we get.”
“Every day, every shift is different,” said Joey.
“You never have the same day, and that’s just one aspect I think we all can agree on when it comes to really loving what we do,” added Dreyton.
For the McCarthy boys, the pros heavily outweighed the cons of the “job,” not only have each of them thrived in their respective careers; they also continue to strive to be better.
“It’s not always a great day,” said Deydren. “There are calls that are harder than others, there are calls that you may not want to respond to, but you go because someone needs your help.”
All three of them were adamant that no matter if its law enforcement, fire, or EMS, you have to apply yourself to be the best you can be.
“It’s more than lights and sirens; you have to commit yourself,” said Joey.
“Ninety percent of our calls are medical, the other ten percent of the time we’re on our toes waiting for that fire call,” said Dreyton.
Becoming a first responder is not just for the younger generation, Joey said and that there’s still plenty of opportunities for anyone to get into public safety, and all departments are just as rewarding as the next.
“You may not want to dodge bullets or run into a burning building, but you can perhaps look at the paramedic side and help that way,” explained Joey. “It’s not as bad [being a first responder] as some of the stuff you hear. It’s really easy to get into it; you just have to apply yourself.”
“Watching my brother go through it [EMT and fire school] listening to the stories, it sounded near impossible at times to get through. And I think a lot of people misconstrue what it takes to be a fireman, or police officer or paramedic, they hear more negative things than the positive aspects of the jobs,” added Deydren.
Without a doubt, each of them have found their calling and look forward to hopefully continuing a family tradition with the generations to come.
