Celebrating the Captain
Story and photos courtesy Gary Apodaca, LAFD
On March 20, the LAFD and the City of Los Angeles Firefighters Association honored Capt. II Andrew Ruiz as the 2024 Firefighter of the Year. Capt. Ruiz has dedicated 31 years to the fire service, with more than 26 of those years serving the citizens of Los Angeles.
The luncheon was held at the Universal Hilton Hotel.
Capt. Ruiz serves as a Unit Commander in the In-Service Training Section and has served as a Drill Master at the LAFD Training Academy. His past assignments have included Fire Stations in Battalions 1, 5, 11, and 13. Outside of his duties with the LAFD, he is the Lead Master Instructor for the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) Fireground Survival (FGS) program and has been teaching internationally since 2009, where he has influenced thousands of firefighters on how to save their own lives.
Capt. Ruiz is an instructor at the Rio Hondo Fire Academy, where he has taught various disciplines since 2008, focusing his efforts on training the next generation of firefighters. He is collaborating with California State Fire Training (SFT) to revamp the Fireground Survival Program, Rapid Intervention Company (RIC) operations, and firefighter rescue techniques. Capt. Ruiz has also served as a panel member for the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI) focused on Coordinated Fire Attack and Ventilation.
Congratulations, Capt. II Ruiz!
