For some, the flashing lights of a fire engine stir up curiosity, and perhaps even comfort. For Omar Garcia, those lights changed the course of his life.

Omar Garcia grew up right down the street from his local Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) Fire Station 98. Some of his earliest memories are of the engines roaring by his house, the flashing red lights shining through the windows and oscillating on the walls.

“The fire department was the backbone of the community,” he reflected.

Garcia witnessed his first accident as a child while leaving the grocery store with his father. Within what felt like seconds for Garcia, Fire Station 98 was on the scene for the small fender bender. “Seeing the fire department rolling in, taking charge of the scene…watching the captains, engineers, and firefighters each doing their roles. It really stuck with me,” Garcia recalled.

In his early teenage years, Garcia noticed his neighbor leaving the house in a crisp, blue uniform and pristine black shoes that glistened in the sunlight. A curious Garcia inquired and learned that his neighbor was an LAFD Cadet, the highest level of LAFD youth programs that young adults can pursue if they are looking for a career in the fire service.

But joining the elite LAFD Cadets was more than a simple application. Only 10 of the 106 LAFD Fire Stations have a cadet post, where cadets train alongside firefighters in a real work environment as part of the crew. Cadet hopefuls must meet with a post advisor and attend orientations all prior to submitting a formal application.

Garcia set his sights on LAFD Fire Station 87. After attending three orientation meetings and completing his application, Garcia joined Fire Station 87’s crew as a cadet at sixteen years old. But just as he was ready to get started, the pandemic hit, bringing a full stop to the LAFD’s youth programs.

Garcia channeled this setback into studying and researching as much as he could about the fire service and firefighting. “It gave me more time to research the requirements that I needed to meet to be successful,” he shared.

When COVID protocols were lifted in 2021, Garcia returned to Fire Station 87, where he officially started his cadet journey.

All of Garcia’s extracurricular activities outside of school were influenced by his goal of becoming an LAFD firefighter. Throughout high school, he volunteered at his local hospital and was offered a job after graduation. Garcia was working full-time at the front desk in the emergency room while serving as a cadet and pursuing his emergency medical training (EMT) certification. He recalls leaving EMT class and coming to work, talking to the nurses, doctors, and other EMTs about what he was learning and gleaning insight from them.

Garcia became ride-along certified at Fire Station 87, making him eligible to run calls with the crew. He remembers his very first ride-along; a call for chest pain that turned out to be cardiac arrest. He assisted with CPR for the first time in the field.

“When the actual incident is going on, your adrenaline is pumping, but you’re still able to focus on the task at hand,” he said, reflecting on the call. His mentor and cadet post advisor taught him early on how to manage the stress of the job. The tools that he uses today to cope with difficult situations were passed down from him.

These types of unique, up-close-and-personal learning opportunities are what Garcia loves most about being a cadet. “If you’re committed and you think the fire service is for you, the Cadet Program will prepare you for success,” he emphasized.

“Being in the Cadet Program helped me build confidence. Within the program, but also outside of the program – at work and at school,” he added.

Garcia is in the final steps of the official application process for becoming an LAFD firefighter. The closer his dream gets, the more excited he becomes. Garcia wants to bring the same comfort and reassurance that he remembers feeling as a child when the fire department was on the scene to those in need.

“When people see an LAFD firefighter coming, they know they’re going to be cared for and treated with the utmost respect, kindness, and dignity,” Garcia shared.

“I look forward to being in those boots and hopefully wearing the badge soon.”