The Los Angeles City Fire Department (LAFD) and the City of Los Angeles Firefighters Association recently named Captain II Andrew Ruiz as the 2024 Firefighter of the Year for his 31 years in the fire service including 26 years serving Los Angeles.
Ruiz is a unit commander in the In-Service Training Section and has served as a drill master at the LAFD Training Academy near Dodger Stadium. Aside from his work at LAFD, he is the lead master instructor for the International Association of Firefighters Fireground Survival program. In that role, “he has influenced thousands of firefighters on how to save their own lives,” according to LAFD officials.
Ruiz is also an instructor at the Rio Hondo Fire Academy, where he has taught since 2008, focusing on training the next generation of firefighters. He is working with California State Fire Training to revamp the Fireground Survival Program, Rapid Intervention Company operations, and firefighter rescue techniques.
In a prepared statement, LAFD officials said, “Captain Andrew Ruiz’s professionalism and selfless service inspire not only his peers within the LAFD, but also the countless individuals whose lives he has positively impacted. … He exemplifies leadership and humility as a public servant, striving to fulfill our department’s public safety mission.”