KIRSTINA BOLTON | staff writer
courtesy | MATTHEW ANDREW
Matthew Andrew and William Portillo volunteered to fight the Santa Clarita fire during the fire rampage last week.


Thousands of firefighters all over California and neighboring states came to aid the devastating fires throughout Los Angeles and San Diego. Countless workers and volunteers dedicated their days and nights over the last few weeks to help fight the fires, risking their lives for the safety of others. Among these was student and resident advisor at APU, Matthew Andrew.

The 23-year-old transfer student with a major in business administration worked tirelessly during the fire rampage fighting the fire in Santa Clarita.

Andrew graduated from a sixteen-week course at the fire academy in Oxnard College in Camarillo.

“It was probably one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life,” Andrew said.

He transferred to APU during spring semester of last year. He continues to work at the Santa Clarita Advanced Fire and Rescue Services, a private fire department.

Throughout the year, Andrew has been busy juggling a hall of 1st South Trinity boys, schoolwork, and a job as a firefighter. When fires began sparking all across Southern California, he anticipated an especially busy week.

“On Saturday, I woke up in the middle of the night and I could already smell the smoke,” Andrew recalled, “and I just had this gut feeling, ‘this is going to be bad.’”

On Sunday afternoon he received a call from one of his captains to be on standby at their fire department. The fire that ambushed Santa Clarita was no surprise for firefighters.

“The humidity was low and the winds were really strong, it was the perfect mixture to start a fire,” Andrew said. “Basically, it was a firefighter’s nightmare.”

As a part-time firefighter Andrew works only a few weekends a month, but during fire season they need all the help they can get. The Santa Clarita Fire and Rescue needed to assemble a crew as soon as possible.

Because of prior commitments to his residence hall, Andrew took the evening shifts, beginning around 10 o’clock Sunday evening. Before leaving to attend to the Santa Clarita fire, his hall wished him farewell.

“Matt isn’t just our RA,” freshman economics major Kyle Bowman said. “He’s our friend, he helps us with our problems. It was more quiet when he left.”

Andrew worked all Sunday night returning for only a brief time Monday afternoon before working all Monday night.

When the fires picked up on Tuesday, Andrew and the rest of his department were in the middle of a threatening disaster.

“It was like driving into a war zone,” Andrew said. “The winds were as high as they could be and embers were flying everywhere.”

The Advanced Fire and Rescue was called to protect a 90-acre rehabilitation center for cats and dogs on Tuesday night when the Santa Clarita fire dispersed into “fingers” all over the city. Andrew and his partner, William Portillo, worked endlessly together to contain the fire and protect the facility.

“We always work in pairs,” Portillo said, “so wherever Matt goes, I go.”

The department was on fire-watch the whole night in case the winds turned toward the facility. The crew would take two-hour shifts throughout the evening until the fire was contained.

“You just see this glow behind the mountains and you’re thinking ‘Whoa, if this thing turns around on us, it is going to be a war,’” Andrew recalled.

The fire was contained Wednesday morning with the help of numerous fire departments around the state.

“The coolest thing out of all of it was in less than ten minutes that the fire started, we had fire departments from all over place,” Andrew said.

The departments ranged from Pismo Beach to L.A County.

Andrew worked a total of 117 hours that week, from Sunday to Sunday. He came back to APU several times, only to pack up again for another call to return to the department.

Even after the fires were contained in the department’s area, Andrew traveled to Las Vegas the same Wednesday.

The private fire department had previously made contracts with a private racing series to be the main EMS (emergency medical services) and fire safety crew, despite the need for them in California.

“We had to go,” Andrew said. “We were kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place.”

Back at APU, Andrew had two midterms that week along with massive amounts of homework. When he left to fight the fire his greatest concern was all his classes.

Andrew’s Resident Director, Troy Schemper, went to Student Life and e-mailed all of Andrew’s professors to inform them of Andrew’s position. His 1st South boys had “hall prayers” for him throughout the week, and when he arrived, he was showered with welcoming hugs.

“One of the coolest things about APU is that the professors and the community understand,” Andrew said. “There is a sense of love poured out.”