Before becoming Fire Captain for the Los Angeles Fire Department, Kim Rudloff ’01 was a member of the Chapman women’s soccer team. Now, Kim is dealing with the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic on the front lines.

Kim and the rest of the LAFD respond to numerous calls, ranging from very sick individuals to those who have a vague complaint but are very concerned. Despite the high risk involved with responding to medical aid calls, Kim and her team are doing everything they can to keep themselves safe so they can go home to their families. This involves the use of PPE (personal protective equipment) as shown in the photo above.

Kim says the department receives a great deal of support and encouragement from the community, including meals and cookies. She describes that even just a simple thank you truly goes a long way in keeping the department positive and helps the fight that they are faced with.

Kim attributes her personal perseverance to being a student-athlete with the women’s soccer team. “I’ve always been able to draw from my experience as a student-athlete”, she says. “Now more than ever to persevere.” She also adds that she gained discipline, hard work, a positive attitude and “of course teamwork” as both a student-athlete and an assistant coach at Chapman.

It’s these core attributes that Kim learned from her time at Chapman that she uses to help protect the people of Los Angeles County.