Nicholas Berretta

Background

About Nicholas Berretta

Growing up in the heart of New York, Brooklyn, my background is obvious; I’m a city kid, plain and simple. Being from arguably the largest city in the world, my undergraduate program was based in the State University of New York at Binghamton University for Environmental Planning and Geography. With New York City and Binghamton, I had both sides of the spectrum covered, the dichotomy between the two is drastic. What I didn’t have was any experience in the middle. My enthusiasm for New York City helped me decide to go directly into graduate school and begin to get my foot in the door of the City/Environmental Planning profession. San Diego State provided me that experience and more. Everything we learned at SDSU’s Masters in City Planning program in one way, shape or form traced its roots back to New York. Those roots lead me back home as well. My father was a Lieutenant in the FDNY and I thought that a great place to start in terms of trying to start my career. Using three things I knew, my home, my father, and my education, I began working for the FDNY also, not as a firefighter, but a civilian with the GIS Unit. The FDNY GIS Unit helped me use real world solutions to real world problems in terms of emergency planning and management while honing my skills in the GIS field. I have learned so much for only being there for 2 and a half years as I continued to expand my responsibilities and knowledge. Fast forward to the present and I am now fully committed to the FDNY as a member of L-147, Da Pride A Flatbush. While being with the GIS Unit allowed me to see the city as a whole, being a firefighter allows me to do what I enjoy and that is helping people, no matter what they need when they call for the fire department. It is an honor and a privilege. Being able to follow in my father's footsteps is an added bonus! Who would’ve thought that could be the case for a simple kid from Brooklyn? Maybe I’m a little more complex than I first thought.