Laguna Beach Fire Department Names 2020 Firefighter of the Year

Laguna Beach, CA – The Laguna Beach Fire Department is pleased to announce that Fire Engineer Chris Ornelas has been named the Laguna Beach Fire Department’s 2020 Firefighter of the Year.

Ornelas works out of Fire Station 4 in South Laguna. Besides doing a great job with his required duties/responsibilities, he helps the Department by taking on many special projects. Ornelas leads the Fire Hose Program that ensures all fire hose is inventoried, tracked, and tested annually to ensure it works under high pressures when needed. He helps with training new Firefighters, and he especially helps to create a productive and caring environment by keeping all current, past, and extended family members informed of Fire Department and personnel special events and dates.

“Chris was nominated by his peers for this award and it goes without saying that his contributions and commitment to the Laguna Beach Fire Department have been extremely impactful throughout 2020,” said Laguna Beach Fire Chief Mike Garcia. “Chris has done a fantastic job managing our social media accounts, which have grown in popularity and highlight many of the fantastic things the Laguna Beach Firefighters do on a daily basis to protect and serve our community. His efforts growing our social media following have created an online community that has bridged the gap between our retirees and active-duty personnel.”

In developing the Fire Department’s social media programs, Ornelas has also become the de facto historian for all modern Fire Department activities. He has curated a photographic collection that records the current year of the department, an effort unmatched by previous generations. Ornelas is also recognized for his time and dedication spent working on the pink shirt project and his work with the Firefighter Cancer Support Network.

The Laguna Beach Firefighter of the Year is nominated by their peers. The nominees are then forwarded to the Chief Officers, who meet to review and discuss each and every candidate. At the end of this review, a worthy candidate is selected for the honor. For more information, please contact Firefighter Pat Cary at (949) 497-0700.