An Allen resident, Justin Martinez always desired a career that would allow him to help people, but his career path wasn’t exactly straight. After attending college, Justin worked various jobs. It wasn’t until becoming a caregiver for his uncle who was battling cancer that he found his calling to become a fireman.
In 2013, his cousin’s husband invited him on a ride along with his fire crew in Denton. Justin was hooked: "After that, I did everything I needed to do to get in shape and applied to Dallas.”
Justin currently works as a Fire Rescue Officer with the Dallas Swift Water Fire Station. He has been with them for nine years. His station is called out for all types of rescues, but they are specially trained for water rescue. When asked his favorite part of his job, Justin didn't hesitate to say, "It's when we actually get to use our training skills to really help someone, such as utilizing CPR to get a person stabilized for EMS.”
Justin believes it's crucial for everyone to learn CPR, especially parents of small children. Alluding to the accident involving Damar Hamlin earlier this year, Justin said, “We all saw how important CPR was in saving the football player’s life.” Justin is a strong proponent of taking a CPR class. Allen Fire Department offers free CPR and Stop the Bleed classes. Advanced registration is required. Visit www.cityofallen.org for more information.
It wasn’t until becoming a caregiver for his uncle who was battling cancer that he found his calling to become a fireman.
