Highlighting Hometown Heroes at San Diego County Ramona Fire Station 81

James Boyer started in 2019 as a seasonal firefighter. In 2021, he was promoted to Firefighter II. He was previously in the Army as an Emergency Medical Technician. In the position, he gained medical knowledge and the skillset to transition into being a firefighter. "I always wanted to serve," said Boyer. "It comes naturally." He added that he is an "adrenaline junkie" and is willing to be put in dangerous situations.

This job calls for a certain type of person, and Boyer takes pride in it. He says his job is fulfilling because he knows people call on him on their worst days, and he can provide relief in their time of need. He is there to serve as a true hero and help bring calm in an emergency because, often, people are panicked. There have been several times during the emergency callouts when he has had to use extrication tools known as jaws of life. This tool, commonly used after car accidents, has a lot of lifting power, and is used to pry open vehicles or structures to rescue trapped individuals.

Balancing work and family are a challenge for firefighters, who work three days on and four days off, plus overtime. Boyer works hard at balancing work with the amount of time he spends with his family, including his wife of 10 years, Alexis, and their two daughters, ages four and almost one.

One important safety tip that Boyer recommends is for people to test their smoke alarms monthly to make sure they are working properly and replace batteries once a year. Another popular tip from the firefighters is to stop, drop, and roll if you or your clothing catches fire.

For Fire Apparatus Engineer Ryan Jones, becoming a firefighter was in the back of his mind for as long as he can remember. However, he didn't decide to pursue this path until 2007 or 2008, during the housing market crash. He struggled during that time, and he was single with no kids, so he decided to pursue his childhood dream. He joined the US Army in 2009 at the age of 28 and rode out the recession while gaining valuable experience to help build his resume.

Jones served as a combat medic, spent four years active duty stationed in Texas, and had one deployment to Iraq. As soon as his four-year contract was up, he started his childhood dream of being in the fire service. After countless trainings and getting an associate's degree in fire science from Miramar College, he began volunteering with the San Diego County Fire Authority in 2015. In 2016, he was hired as a Firefighter I with San Bernadino CalFire. He was promoted to Firefighter II in 2021 and returned to San Diego CalFire, where he proudly worked at Ramona Station 81 for just over a year before promoting to Fire Apparatus Engineer. He has been an Engineer serving Ramona for almost two years in a relief position between all Ramona stations. He is honored to say, "Station 81 in San Diego Country Estates has been permanently assigned as my station since August of this year."

The most fulfilling part of the job is the instant gratification. "What I mean is I don't have to wait months or years to see the impact I have," says Jones. "I see the difference on every call we go to from helping someone who is sick to being there for someone in a major car accident, or even a tragic fire and saving valuable belongings the family wasn't able to grab as they rushed out of the house." No matter how big or small the help is, it never stops feeling good to be there when needed.

They have expectations to meet on a call, starting with response times. It's important to remember that firefighters must always be ready while on duty, no matter what. If the tones go off for a call, the crew is expected to respond within 60 seconds, whether they're eating, training, working out, etc. At night, while sleeping, they are given extra time-90 seconds to drive away in the apparatuses. These professionals are the faces that people see at some of their worst moments, and it's vital that they stay professional, give people the calm they need to weather their storm, and help them through the immediate problem.

Firefighters are required to stay up-to-date with their training. Technology is constantly advancing, and firefighters need to understand how things work to do their jobs effectively. For example, building construction on a new home drastically differs from a "Legacy" home built in the 70s and before. Firefighters need a basic understanding of how homes are constructed so they don't put themselves in danger during a fire. Clean energy is becoming a recurring theme that they need to train on constantly. Battery storage units for electric vehicles can be hazardous and, once on fire, very toxic and reactive to water. Last but not least, staying healthy and physically fit is a must for this job. They need to be able to push themselves to uncomfortable and strenuous limits to accomplish the most difficult tasks.

"I take pride in my job because it's a trait that was instilled in me by my father, Bill Jones," says Jones. "And now that I'm a husband and father, I want to make my family proud," he says of his wife, Stephanie, daughter, Avery, and son, Jaxon. Not only does he feel the drive to make his family proud, but he also does not want to let down his coworkers and the community. "This job gives us a sense of pride, and I'm very proud to serve the Ramona Community," says Jones.

True courage is running toward the flames when others are running away, and firefighters embody this bravery every day.