Adam Dominguez ’05 used to spend his days on the soccer field while at Chapman University, but now he risks his life day in and day out on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Adam is no stranger to risking his life as a Firefighter and Paramedic for the Los Angeles County Fire Department, but that risk increased exponentially over the past few weeks.

A majority of Adam’s calls are medical aid calls, meaning he is responding to someone in medical distress. Recently, that means he has responded to patients that are exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms, putting his own safety at risk to help those in need. Adam describes seeing positivity among the chaos as people reach out more to say thank you, express their appreciation and even drop off goodies at the fire station. The kindness lifts the morale of those working on the front lines.

Adam draws on his time with the Chapman soccer team to help him on his calls. “You have to be a team player”, he said. “Playing soccer at Chapman taught me that the team goal is bigger than the individual goal. Even before this pandemic, I went into the fire service with that attitude.”

This positive attitude has helped Adam and the rest of Bellflower Fire Station 98 brave the pandemic and keep their citizens safe.