Fast forward 21 years, and today you can find Sanchez either working a rotation at Station 12 in Lincoln Park or back inside a classroom at his alma mater San Diego Miramar College, where he is part of an inaugural cohort of 43 students working toward a bachelor of science in public safety management, which launched at the start of the fall semester.
Joining the baccalaureate program, the first of its kind for Miramar College and third among San Diego Community College District’s three credit colleges, is the next step in Sanchez’s journey to rise among the ranks of the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.
“I’ve been a firefighter for 11 years,” he said. “In a few years, I would like to be a captain. Following that, I would like to be a battalion chief where I can make a difference in our fire department. I think this new bachelor’s program will help me achieve this without accruing the debt of a four-year university.”
But, for Sanchez, who also participated in the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department Cadet Program during high school, the circuitous path to becoming a professional firefighter has been fraught with challenges.
Raised by parents who immigrated from Tijuana, Sanchez takes pride in being a first-generation Mexican American. Without a car, a driver’s license, or extra income, he balanced high school, cadet training, and hours-long bus rides from City Heights to Point Loma up to Miramar, all while holding onto a vision bigger than himself. What kept him going was the support he found at Miramar College.
“There were times I thought I couldn’t do it,” he said. “But the professors and counselors at Miramar College helped me apply for financial aid and even gas cards when I was finally able to get a car. They showed me I belonged here.”
Sanchez completed his EMT certification at Miramar College two days before earning his high school diploma. Then, in 2012, he achieved a fire protection technology associate degree from Miramar College. Soon after, he joined the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department full-time, first at Station 6 in the South Bay, and later at Station 7 in Barrio Logan.
Landing in Barrio Logan was a full-circle moment for Sanchez who grew up in the San Diego neighborhood. When he was just a boy, Sanchez had watched helplessly when a neighborhood furniture store caught fire. He said that even at such a young age he recognized a language barrier between those affected by the fire and those there to help.
“No one could speak Spanish, but I could,” he remembered. “I wanted to help, but I was too afraid.”
Sanchez described his acceptance into the inaugural bachelor’s degree program as an opportunity to become everything he dreamt of as a kid from Barrio Logan. The new Public Safety Management baccalaureate program, which offers two tracks ― one in law enforcement management, the other in fire technology management ― reflects Miramar College’s long-standing relationship with the region’s fire and law enforcement departments.
Sanchez is one of myriad professionals in the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department who holds strong respect for the training provided by Miramar College. Many of the instructors within the School of Public Safety are active-duty San Diego firefighters, engineers, and captains.
“Miramar gave me everything I needed,” he said, crediting the college not just for his certifications but for building the foundation of his fire career.
The “Become” Moment
For the fall 2025 semester, 43 students enrolled in San Diego Miramar College's new Public Safety Management baccalaureate program. The bachelor’s degree is the third of its kind within the San Diego Community College District and an addition to Miramar College’s 10 associate of science degrees, 13 certificates of achievement, and 10 certificates of performance within the School of Public Safety, which also hosts the Regional Public Safety Training Institute. Combined, Miramar College is helping students in the San Diego region become public safety workers in the fields of fire service, law enforcement, lifeguard operations, or emergency medical response.
