Man Who Saved 3 on Road to Fire Career

Two years ago, Richard Lopez rescued three people from a burning apartment in Ventura. This week, he’ll graduate from firefighting school.

Lopez was a good Samaritan in May 1997 when he helped an off-duty Santa Barbara firefighter rescue a 60-year-old woman and her two young grandchildren from the second floor of a burning apartment on Garden Street.

The incident inspired Lopez, 30, to make a change, and on Saturday he will be among 31 cadets to graduate from the Oxnard Regional Fire Academy--the first step toward becoming a full-fledged firefighter.

“I just wasn’t getting anywhere with all of my part-time jobs,” Lopez said. “I didn’t have any set goal.”

Saving lives changed all that.

The first step was to enroll in fire science classes at Oxnard College. That was two years ago.

Next came the academy, a three-month, 440-hour program that began in October. Of 75 applicants, Lopez was one of 32 selected.

Lopez, who has lived in the Ventura Avenue area since he was 10, said the training was intense but exciting.

“They mainly stress safety, communication and teamwork,” he said.

His next mission is to apply to fire departments, even if it means leaving the place where he has spent most of his life.

“Wherever you can get your foot in the door is the best place to go,” he said.

Patrick Easley, the academy’s instructor and coordinator, said about 90% of the graduates will find work in the next year or two.