Freedom’s Salazar is living his dream of being a firefighter

By Robert Daski

Published: October 21, 2008

Luis Salazar wanted to be like his father, Miguel. To do that, he would have to dress in a fire suit and train to become a firefighter.
“When I was a little kid and I saw my father, I thought he was my hero,” Salazar said. “Seeing him in a fire suit left me breathless and speechless.”
The Freedom senior, who is running cross country for the first time, is living his dream. He volunteers for the Station 12 Occoquan-Woodbridge-Lorton Volunteer Fire Department off Montgomery Avenue in Woodbridge.
Salazar has become serious enough about firefighting that he will pursue a paramedics degree following high school. He is leaning toward beginning his undergraduate work at Northern Virginia Community College’s medical campus. Station 12 has already offered him a scholarship to cover his two years at NOVA.
“I’ve always known this is what I wanted to do,” Salazar said.
Salazar will become EMT-certified on Oct. 28. Because he is not certified, he is limited in the duties he is allowed to perform for his department.
“What I do is get the cot or the stretcher out of the ambulance,” Salazar said. “I do a bunch of medical care with C-Spine or putting splints on people. I carry them from the accident scene to the ambulance. I help connect the fire hoses to the fire hydrant.”
Salazar joined his fire station in Aug. 2007. He spends four days a week there and has bonded with his fellow firefighters.
“They’re a second family to me,” Salazar said. “We spend a lot of time together. We really trust ourselves because we really put our lives in each other’s hands putting a fire out wherever it may be.”
He is not Freedom’s lone student to be involved in firefighting. Rory Frank volunteers at Station 20 in Dale City. Lexi Coulson, a member of Freedom’s girls’ cross country team, and Brittany Shepard, who plays for the girls’ lacrosse team, are also volunteer firefighters.
Being a firefighter so interests Salazar that he talks with Frank about his experiences with the fire station.
Clearly Salazar knows which direction his life is headed.
“He’s very interesting to be as young as he is and to really know what he wants to do at this point already and to have a plan to accomplish it,” Freedom cross country coach Leroy Worley said.
“He’s disciplined and well-behaved. He does what he’s supposed to do when he’s supposed to do it. Having a leader like that on a team is something a coach looks forward to. He’s gained a lot of those skills from being involved in volunteer fire fighting. It’s been a plus.”
His leadership also helps lead the Freedom boys’ soccer team. Salazar, originally from Guatemala, plays defense and midfield for the Eagles. He is following in the footsteps of one older brother and his father. Miguel even played professionally in Guatemala.
“I was born into a soccer family,” Salazar said.