OKEECHOBEE — Firefighter, Alex Hernandez was born in Hollywood, Fla. but grew up in Okeechobee and has lived here for 20 years. He and his family enjoyed spending time at the beach and just taking vacations together as a family. He remembers having lots of fun with friends when they got together and played hide-and-seek, and of course, like most young men nowadays, he enjoys a good video game. His favorite hobbies are working out, fishing and target shooting. If he could have a super power, he would choose super-human strength.
City of Okeechobee Firefighter, Alex Hernandez
Okeechobee High School is Mr. Hernandez’s alma mater, where his favorite subject was history, although he says he really did not enjoy homework of any kind and preferred the physical things like sports and enjoyed spending time with his friends wrestling and swimming. Mr. Hernandez graduated from Indian River State College in 2018 with an Applied Science Degree in Fire Science Technology, and his favorite course was Fire Science. He explained he enrolled in the classes in order to get a better education and a good career.
Before becoming a firefighter, Mr. Hernandez worked at Game Stop but decided that line of work just wasn’t for him. He wants to make a positive difference in the world and serve his community, and he decided becoming a firefighter was more suitable for those goals.
After serving as a volunteer for two years, he was hired as a firefighter for the City of Okeechobee and has been there for almost a year. Mr. Hernandez says he was influenced greatly by fellow firefighter Tommy Palmer who took him under his wing and put him on the right path for his career.
“My career gave my life purpose, serving the community I love,” says Mr. Hernandez.
Cathy Womble is a staff writer for the Lake Okeechobee News.
