“Always stay ahead of your next promotional process.”

Lt. Cesar Lora

Why did you become a firefighter?

Lieutenant Cesar Lora has always been passionate about helping others. His natural gift of empathy led him to the fire service. Lt. Lora served in the U.S. Coast Guard and then explored a law enforcement career but it wasn’t until he sat down in his first EMT class that he found the career he’d been looking for. He was hooked.

“Every aspect of my life is tied to the fire service: family & friends, on-duty & off-duty.”

The fire service provides the “why” that guides Lt. Lora through life by giving him the opportunity to help others while building upon the camaraderie amongst his crew. Lt. Lora’s passion to help others was rewarded in 2019 when he received Employee of the Month for the Town of Palm Beach Fire-Rescue.

What advice do you have for other firefighters?

“This is a profession, it’s not just a job. Whether you like it or not, it’s a calling.”

Being a firefighter is a way of life, on- and off-duty. It takes a very special person to be able to take on the responsibilities that firefighters embrace. Every community in every state depends on its firefighters to protect the citizens’ life and property.

Lora’s second piece of advice is to keep moving.

“Always stay ahead of your next promotional process,” Lt. Lora stressed that even if a firefighter doesn’t want to be a lieutenant, captain or chief, he or she must stay ahead of those promotional opportunities to better understand what their superiors are doing.

A firefighter who has a strong understanding of what it takes to be an officer builds upon the cohesive culture that the fire service revolves around. This understanding gives the firefighter the ability to think critically and offer helpful insight in discussions with officers instead of complaining and driving a wedge amongst the crew.

What changes do you foresee in the fire service?

Technology’s impact on community medicine.

“Things are changing fast,” Lt. Lora has seen within his own agency. “Overwhelmingly, the fire service is moving at a pace that everyone has to keep up with.”

Technology is improving every day and the fire service will benefit from some of these technological advances. Lt. Lora has seen telemedicine and integration of services increase the capabilities of community paramedicine in recent years. He believes new technology is going build upon this even more moving forward.

“I can be communicating with the patient’s cardiologist from the back of the ambulance. At the same time, I can send the patient’s data to the hospital in real time so the right personnel have the correct documents ready prior to arrival,” Lt. Lora stated. “This level of unified, collaborative care is going to improve our ability to do what we do.”

Lieutenant Lora drives home the importance of cardiovascular health and the impact that any given call may have on a firefighter with his story.

Early in his career, Cesar Lora responded to a structure fire in a home that had started in the basement and made its way up through the balloon frame to the attic of the home.

They made entry with an offensive approach and stretched the lines to get water on the fire. At that point, it was too hot to fight the fire from the inside and all of the water Lora was putting on it was just sizzling. No water was coming down.

Lora knew that they had to get out of there before it flashed over. He turned around to his fireman but couldn’t find his lieutenant. He called over the radio to get his lieutenant’s location and learned that he was outside so they exited the house.

“When I got outside, I saw clearly that he was having a heart attack.”

Overwhelmed, Cesar began reflecting on how great his lieutenant had been to him and the relationship they had built in his young career. Everything was extremely vivid for Cesar in those moments.

“There was a dog barking in the neighbor’s yard. For years, I had dreams where I would hear that dog barking.”

Lora’s lieutenant survived that heart attack but had to retire from the fire service and has since passed away.

There are so many things going on at any given moment at the scene of an emergency, especially for officers. But above all else, the most important factor to take care of is personal health. Cardiovascular health is extremely important, especially for firefighters. Sudden cardiac death is the leading cause of LODD for firefighters every year. It is imperative to focus on your heart and ensure you’re taking the necessary steps to avoid a cardiovascular event.

Without a healthy heart, it’s impossible to make the life or death decisions in high-pressure situations that firefighters have to make.