To The Rescue

Jacob Saduddin moved to Chico from Huntington Beach, California for an opportunity to become a City of Chico Firefighter through an On-the-Job-Training (OJT). The City of Chico Fire Department has been a long-time partner with Alliance for Workforce Development, in utilizing the Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act (WIOA) OJT to train new firefighters in the rigorous and highly technical skills they need for success.
Prior to coming to Chico, Jacob was a Life Guard for the California State Park Service. He had always desired to become a municipal firefighter. Jacob was enrolled in the WIOA Program on February 19th, 2020. He started the academy on February 24th for an eight-week training course. Due to the pandemic of COVID-19, his training was accelerated, and he completed it in seven weeks. His final day at the academy was April 10th.
Jacob learned a lot in the Academy, assisted by the training program designed by the City Fire Training Division Chief and an AFWD Business Service Representative. Training included: how to respond to different types of alarms and emergency calls, the specific equipment needed for various types of emergencies, how to analyze fire patterns, and how to rescue victims from burning buildings in the safest manner possible.
Jacob is now out of the academy and working in a City of Chico Fire Station. His supervisor has stated that Jacob improves every shift and is right where he should be. He goes above and beyond to help others. Jacob will continue to learn and grow with his new career. He would like to become a Captain one day and lead a crew of his own. With his skills and dedication, we predict he will go a long way in this profession.