'Answering the Call': How a SAC alumna turned personal tragedy and family legacy into a life-saving career
(Santa Ana, Calif.) Santa Ana College (SAC) alumna Lauren Schaefer, who served as the recruit chief of the 186 Santa Ana College Basic Fire Academy, now works as an ambulance operator for the Laguna Beach Fire Department. From receiving her Associate's degree in Fire Science, to working in the fire service since 2023, Schaefer represents the career pathways that are made possible at SAC. Schaefer aims to go on from being an ambulance operator to becoming a firefighter.
The Santa Ana College Public Information Office sat down with Schaefer to learn more about her journey.
Can you share more about your role as an ambulance operator?
Well, I really wanted to become an ambulance operator because you're able to work with fire crews directly and learn underneath them what fire culture is like. Like, what it's like to work in a station, understanding the schedule, the constant sacrifice of giving up your personal time, and then just learning exactly what the career entails.
Being an ambulance operator, you eventually do want to have a career in the fire service, so it's a great spot to be to learn directly from them. Every day is different. It's never going to be the same. We always have different calls. You'll never know what you're expecting. So, that's why we have to stay really sharp on all of our skills.
What made you want to pursue a career in fire service?
Coming on as an ambulance operator, I knew I wanted to be a firefighter from a really early age.
I grew up in a fire family. My mom is a retired Division Chief and my dad is currently a Captain at Brea Fire Department. I grew up with two excellent role models and they definitely encouraged me to follow this career.
I also knew I wanted to do it after I pursued a different career in college. I finished my Bachelor's in Business. It was a great opportunity to move forward in that, but I realized then that fire service was the career for me.
I was involved in an incident pretty early on, at a really early age. My next door neighbor, who was a really close friend of ours, we consider him family, went into cardiac arrest and unfortunately, he passed away that night.
Being that my family is all involved in the medical field, a lot of our friends and neighbors and people that are close to us, use us for help. His family ran over, needed our assistance, and my mom, my dad and myself, we went over and helped.
While my mom was protecting his airway and my dad was starting an IV on his arm, I was on top of him, doing CPR at 15 years old. It was very tragic. Looking at the face of someone you love and trying your best to do all you can, but knowing that they're gone was hard to deal with at a young age. But later in life, I was also involved in a situation where I was able to help save someone. So with the encouragement and advice from my parents and other loved ones, I was able to realize that this career was absolutely for me.
It's where I can make a difference. Not only will it keep me healthy and happy and I'll have a long career, but it's something where I can give back to people and have that fulfillment.
How did your time studying at Santa Ana College impact your pathway?
Santa Ana College gave me a great basis. I believe having that basis is very important in getting into a fire academy. It gives you that prior knowledge before stepping into something that you actually have to perform in. These classes that Santa Ana College gives you really prepare you for the academy. The instructors that teach here are so dedicated to our learning and our experiences, and they made sure that we were ready for the Academy requirements.
Another reason I also chose to come to Santa Ana College was that my mom actually went through the academy as well, so she had a bit of a legacy here. She was a PT recruit and it inspired me to also choose Santa Ana College. I wanted to feel connected to my mom and follow her footsteps in her career.
Santa Ana College also has a great reputation among other fire academies. They're a bit of a legacy academy since it's been long standing for quite a long time. They're currently in academy 187 and I myself went through academy 186.
What was something that impacted who you are today?
When I was in college, I was at a gathering with a bunch of friends and unfortunately a girl who was there went unconscious and her airway was obstructed. I wasn't there when it had happened, but being that people know my history, I was grabbed from a different room and brought over to her attention to help her.
911 was called and I just went into responder mode. I hadn't had the experience then that I have now, but because my parents have trained me and because I am CPR certified and what not, I was able to do the right steps and help her that day.
When the police and fire showed up, we had a conversation. They told me because of my actions, that I had helped save her life that day.
That was incredibly impactful for me and in comparison to what I did with my neighbor so many years ago, it led me to understand that no matter the gravity of a situation, if we're there to help somebody and we give our best efforts, that's what makes the difference.
It's an honor to be there for somebody in their moment of need. If I'm able to be there and hold their hand and walk them through and try my best to give them that comfort and potentially save their life, I'm gonna do it every time.
What keeps you motivated?
Something that keeps me motivated is knowing that I'm responding to people in their scariest moments. I want to be the person that they can depend on.
In that moment, all of my personal problems are pushed to the side. They need me to be that strong, confident individual who they can look to and know that I'm going to help them. I do that by staying physically and mentally fit, and I think that's incredibly important.
