Adalberto Salazar - Apparatus Operator

Firefighter Adalberto Salazar remembered his first fire like it was yesterday.  

He had finally accomplished his dream of becoming a member of the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD). The young rookie Salazar was assigned to LAFD Fire Station 64 in Watts to kick off his career.  

The crew – himself, an apparatus operator, and two senior firefighters – began ventilation operations on the roof after being called to a building fire. Each time the crew made cuts in the roof for ventilation, flames pushed through, signifying that the fire was still active.  

“It felt never-ending,” he reflected, sharing that the crew stayed on the fire for so long that every member ran out of air in their self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA).  

But Salazar remained undeterred. He did not move from his post until he was explicitly instructed to, determined to keep working under the same conditions as his fellow crew members.  

“This is it,” he remembered thinking, even while drenched in sweat and making what felt like little headway on the biggest fire he had ever experience.

“This is the dream.”

But a job with the fire department was not always the dream for Salazar. Growing up, his father would tell stories and share pictures of the time Los Angeles County Fire airlifted him to a nearby hospital for a rattlesnake bite. His father held a deep respect for firefighters and first responders since that incident, so firefighting was always in the back of Salazar’s mind – but not a priority.

When he graduated high school in 2003, Salazar wasn’t sure what was next. A friend was pursuing a career with the LAFD but discouraged Salazar from trying because he was having a hard time moving through the hiring process himself. Salazar listened and opted for a desk job with an insurance company to make ends meet.

To no one’s surprise - especially not his own - Salazar bemoaned life behind a desk. Throughout school, he had always been an athlete – from football to wrestling and baseball, team sports kept him engaged and active. He loved the adrenaline and the satisfaction of leaving everything on the field.

He decided nearly four years later that he needed to get out of the office.

Life took an abrupt turn when Salazar began taking an emergency medical technician (EMT) course at Valley College. “I loved it from the start,” he said of the course, which ignited a renewed sense of purpose. “The deeper we went, the more invested I became.”

Inspired by this new direction, Salazar joined the ski patrol at Mountain High Resort, where he put his EMT knowledge to work. He became skilled with ropes, traversing the slopes to execute search and rescue missions on sheer cliffs and backcountry trails.

Later, Salazar gained experience with different ambulance companies in California, working for American Medical Response (AMR) throughout Ventura County and in Bakersfield – all while taking fire tech classes and attending paramedic school in the evening.

Salazar was ready for a career in the fire service. His sights were set on the LAFD, as he had heard about the high standards, the paramilitary discipline, and how regarded LAFD members were. But he was also willing to take a job with whichever department reached out first.

Thankfully, that department was the LAFD. In October 2016, almost ten years after leaving his job at the insurance company, Salazar was starting the recruit process at the LAFD’s Drill Tower.

He entered the academy with strong EMT skills and valuable urban search and rescue (USAR) experience – but developing firefighting knowledge would be a learning curve.

“They were never going to make me quit,” he said of the challenges he faced during the academy. No matter how hard the journey had been, Salazar had not come this far to fail. Success was the only option.

From the start of his firefighting career, Salazar was intrigued by the Apparatus Operator (AO) role. Beyond driving the Department’s ladder trucks, AOs are respected leaders at the station, serving as a trusted liaison between captains and crew.

“I wanted to build a strong foundation before I became an Apparatus Operator,” he said. “You have to grow into that role.”

He focused on mastering every assignment on the engine and truck before dedicating two years of intentional preparation for the AO exam.

Once again, his determination and commitment to his goals paid off. Salazar promoted as an Apparatus Operator to LAFD Fire Station 88 in Sherman Oaks, where he now serves as a mentor and leader to his crew and fellow members.  

On Salazar’s first day as an apparatus operator, he was walking into Fire Station 88 for the first time when a call came in. Before he could put his bags down or even meet the tillerman - the individual in the bucket on the back of the ladder - he was in the driver’s seat and on the road.

That moment, and so many others along his journey, taught AO Salazar just how resilient he is – every obstacle a reminder that perseverance, practice, and sheer determination pay off.

To firefighter hopefuls, AO Salazar says,

“It’s not going to be easy, and no one is going to do it for you. You have to want it enough.”

Today, he has become the kind of firefighter that influenced him along his journey – a mentor, leader, and steady presence for new firefighters and those looking to grow into different roles. Long hours and days away from family are still the hardest part of the job, but for AO Salazar, so is the opportunity to serve the community, strengthen his crew, and help others realize the same dream that first took shape for him on the roof of a burning building.