Photograph by Kathy De La Torre
Jason Perez's tireless efforts have won him the recognition of his peers in the Saratoga Fire Department.
Firefighter of the year is 'go-to' kind of guy
By Kara Chalmers
In more ways than one, Jason Perez has helped out his fellow firefighters in times of need. This past fall, Saratoga firefighters went out as a strike team to battle the blazes in Northern California and Perez's good friend, Capt. James Young, was part of the team. Perez, who stayed here, called Young's wife, Nancy, regularly to update her on what the team was doing and to find out if she or their children needed anything.
"He called because I didn't have a chance to call her and tell her I was leaving town," Young said. "He's that type of guy, he would take care of your family if you couldn't."
Young says that Perez has come through for him many times. "Whatever you need him to do, if he's around, he'll help you do it," he said. "He's what you'd call a go-to guy, a guy you'd go to for help."
Perez, 29, has won the Saratoga Fire District's Wilbur William Worden Memorial award, a distinguished service award that is the most prestigious given in the district.
The departmentwide award, voted on by the firefighters, is given to a firefighter who goes beyond the community service expected of firefighters and who best embodies the characteristics of Capt. Worden, born in Saratoga in 1906.
Perez, who spends extra time with new firefighters, and gets involved with events sponsored by the district, seems like the perfect candidate. "It's real hard to think about what sets you aside from everybody else," Perez said, "because all the guys that I've worked with here, all are willing to volunteer the same things without even thinking about it."
Perez is a "paid-call" firefighter, a fulltime emergency medical technician for American Medical Response, who volunteers his time at the Saratoga Fire District and gets paid only when he answers fire emergency calls. In all, Perez puts in around 50 hours a week for both his jobs and has sometimes worked up to 72 hours a week. He has been with the district for almost four years, and eventually wants to be a full-time firefighter. He says he would love to end up in Saratoga.
Perez grew up in the area and now lives in San Jose. When he was younger, Perez thought of becoming a sheriffs paramedic. He worked as a ski patrol in the slopes near Lake Tahoe. "It just evolved," Perez said of fire fighting. "I have the rescue knowledge and the knack to do it."
Perez said a friend introduced him to the Saratoga Fire District. "I fell in love with it because it's a small place, perfect for me to learn what I want to."
"It's a little different in Saratoga because we're a community, we're a small community," Perez said.
Perez is the president of the Saratoga Firefighters Association, which, among other things, fundraises for the Santa Clara County Burn Foundation and helps organize National Fire Prevention Week. Perez took charge of the district's annual pancake breakfast last year, and the Christmas party and summer picnic, as well.
"He's on almost every committee that the fire department has," said Capt. Steve Sporleder, under whom Perez has mainly worked since coming to the district. "He is always available anytime there is any activity, whether it's fire-prevention week, the annual appreciation barbecue or the Christmas party. He is always there to help set up, he's always there to help clean up. He's instrumental in almost all of those fire department functions that we have."
Sporleder said Perez is in the station on a regular basis and fills in for firefighters often.
Growing up, Perez was always a team player, excelling at soccer both at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose and at Menlo College. He also plays volleyball, swims, surfs and skis.
Perez comes from what he calls a "family of lawyers," but says he was encouraged by his parents to do his own thing. He likes fire fighting because he enjoys public service and he says every day brings a different challenge. "It's never the same," he said. Also, with fire fighting, there is instant gratification. "You can see the results immediately if you've done something good," he said.
Saratoga, California Since 1955
