- April 28, 2024
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Ormond Beach Fire Capt. Hunter Ramirez knows that every time a call comes in, somebody's likely having the worst day of their life.
Whether the call is for a medical emergency or a fire, knowing that he and his crew are able to help them, and seeing the relief on their faces when the fire truck arrives, makes the job rewarding, Ramirez said.
"Every day that I come in, I get to work with a great group of guys," Ramirez said. "But trying to make a difference each shift is something that I try to live by. If my family had an emergency right now, who would I want coming to take care of them? So every day, I use that as motivation — every day, we should be getting better."
Ramirez joined the Ormond Beach Fire Department in 2016. At 26 years old, he's now the youngest captain in the department, having been promoted in February 2023.
In his new rank, and as one of the department's main fire training instructors, he feels like he's able to make a bigger impact, especially as OBFD is currently a young department overall.
"We have so many new guys coming in," he said. "There's so many people that have retired and more than 50% of our department has less than five years. ... To be able to get myself into this position, where I can make a change and really help the growth of this department has been awesome for me."
Especially, Ramirez added, since the firefighters he's training and working with now will be the same ones he'll work with for the rest of his career.
And he loves training other firefighters.
"It reminds me of what I went through and how eager and excited and how I really didn't know anything," Ramirez said. "To be able to start them off in their career, to learn stuff and see the excitement in them, it really means a lot."
Ramirez was hired at OBFD about three months after finishing fire school. Growing up, he knew he wanted a career of service — whether in the military, police or fire service.
He had some friends that had family members working as firefighters, and after asking them questions about the job, he determined it would be a good fit.
He's loved it ever since, he said.
But, Ormond Beach was not on his radar at first. He initially wanted to work for the Sanford Fire Department, as he had grown up in the Lake Mary area.
Hunter Ramirez is a commendable young Captain of the Ormond Beach Fire Department. He exemplifies ambition and dedication in his role. His impressive accomplishments speak volumes about his commitment to excellence. I am incredibly proud of the fire fighter that he has become and I look forward to witnessing the continued growth of his career as he undoubtedly makes a lasting impact in our department and our community.” — CAPT. DAVID RANDALL, 2023 STANDING O
"I did my first interview there and I did absolutely awful," Ramirez said. "My next one was here in Ormond and I really didn't know too much, but I did a bunch of research. I think I didn't have the stress ... so I did a lot better in my interview than the Sanford one."
Once he was hired, he was excited to start the job. A year in, he bought a house in Ormond and committed himself to the community and the fire department.
"The people that we work with here are what makes this place so great," Ramirez said.
In addition to helping with training, Ramirez also is part of OBFD's truck committee, which helps advise the construction of new fire engines.
Every day that I come in, I get to work with a great group of guys. But trying to make a difference each shift is something that I try to live by. If my family had an emergency right now, who would I want coming to take care of them? So every day, I use that as motivation — every day, we should be getting better." — CAPT. HUNTER RAMIREZ, 2024 STANDING O
He also plans the department's annual 9/11 memorial stair climb each year.
"That's something that I love to do," Ramirez said. "It kind of brings back the tradition of the job, especially with 9/11. ... It happened in 2001. A lot of the guys we're hiring now don't remember it, don't know much about it, and it's a huge staple in the fire service for history and it's something that we should always remember — that at any point, the worst day can come."
Fire service is a brotherhood, Ramirez said.
It's a stressful job, he said. They see things that will stick with them for the rest of their lives.
"To have the support of your friends, and brothers and sisters, is what makes this job manageable," Ramirez said.
One the sayings the department goes by, he said, is that one can never train hard enough for a job that can kill you.
So with that in mind, every day is an opportunity to train and learn, he said.
"It is dangerous job, and not every day are we going into burning buildings and putting our lives on the line, but like I said, they do happen and the risk is always there," Ramirez said. "So we try to train every single day so that when it does come, we know what we're dealing with, and that we're as physically in shape as we can be to perform."
