Nick Beauregard - Firefighter

Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) Firefighter Nick Beauregard was working overtime on the engine at Fire Station 57 when the crew received a call for a commercial fire.

Arriving at the corner of Fig and Manchester Streets, he and the crew found a vacant laundromat ablaze with flames visible from the roof.  

One of the members was a classmate of his from the drill tower. While going about his duties, Firefighter Beauregard noticed his classmate moving just beneath the façade of the building, spraying a hose inside to put out the flames.  

Assessing the enflamed roof and the façade extended overhead, Firefighter Beauregard saw a potential disaster and began calling out to his fellow firefighter. Just as he was urging his comrade to get out of the way, the façade collapsed “like a wave,” Firefighter Beauregard described.  

The firefighter crawled out to safety, having heard Firefighter Beauregard’s voice just in time, but another firefighter was trapped inside under the rubble of the collapsed building. The situation could have ended tragically, but Firefighter Beauregard and the crew pulled him to safety. That incident was a stark reminder of the dangers that come with the career Firefighter Beauregard had chosen.  

But Beauregard always knew he wanted to be a firefighter. In fact, those very dangers are what left an impression on him at a young age. He was in Hawaii with his family when the 9/11 disaster occurred in New York City, and their flight was canceled as a result. Beauregard vividly remembered being in awe of the firefighters on the news, watching them run into the smoke and ash from the collapsed buildings that citizens were running away from.  

Growing up in a military family, Beauregard’s first move out of high school was joining the military. He even became a paratrooper, joining the small percentage of soldiers who jump out of planes and into danger. The discipline and independence he gained from training for this unique role laid the foundation for the fortitude he needed to pursue a career in the fire service.  

During the three and a half years after he left the military, Beauregard went to emergency medical technician (EMT) school, attended a private fire academy, and worked with a private ambulance company and as a CPR instructor to make ends meet. As much as he enjoyed learning, Beauregard had always valued the ability to teach and mentor. He was quickly promoted to field training officer, training new EMTs who were following the same path he once had.

Through it all, Beauregard never stopped pursuing the LAFD. He applied to fire departments far and wide, waiting for his break to come, while participating in the LAFD’s Candidate Advancement Program (CAPs) and taking every available step to get closer to his dream.

Finally, in 2020, the call came, and Beauregard was hired as an LAFD firefighter. He was the only veteran in his recruit class, and later realized how much that experience impacted his ability to navigate the grueling training at the drill tower. He was humbled by the fact that his classmates looked to him for guidance and leadership, citing the parallels between the high standards paratroopers are held to in the Army and the standards that define members of the LAFD.

Firefighter Beauregard currently serves the Watts community at Fire Station 65 – the same station where he finished his first full year as a firefighter. Between the multitude of medical calls and fires, which ensure that life at Station 65 is never dull, he emphasized that being able to change people’s lives is the reason he loves being a firefighter.

He takes pride in the opportunity to make someone’s worst day better, even if the outcome is not always positive.  

As a new father of two, he is especially sensitive to calls that involve children. When his crew faced a mass casualty incident, with multiple deaths in a two-car accident, Firefighter Beauregard went into the car to assess the children – one deceased, and one still alive. During the transport of the patients who still had a chance, he thought of his young son.  

“We put our feelings and emotions to the side to save lives,”

he said, reflecting on the work he and his crew were able to do despite the devastation of lives lost.

After that incident, and as he does after every tough call, he sat down with the crew, and they talked it out. They discussed how the call impacted them and reviewed the steps they took to ensure the best result. In addition to those debriefs with his crew, he added that his wife, whose father is a captain with the LAFD, is a significant source of support for him.

“You can’t keep those emotions and thoughts locked up,” he expressed. “You have to talk about it.”

Even despite the hard days, Firefighter Beauregard would not trade his job for any other career. “I love what I do every day,” he emphasized, including the hard days. “We see a lot, and we experience a lot, but at the end of the day, we get through it. And we always do everything in our power to help everyone we can.”