“First ones in, last ones out” is what junior Jacob Sachs thinks about as he locks the doors on his Jeep, a Jeep with firefighter decals all over the windows. Jacob walks in, unlike most students, he is full of energy at 7:15 a.m. even after working until 9 p.m. the previous night. He also thinks about the fire department and what he wants to do when he graduates.
Jacob’s family has been a tremendous part of the Lake Elmo Fire Department for over 150 years. With some of his distant family being the founders of the town of Lake Elmo itself.
“My family’s history goes way back. It started with my great grandpa who served for close to 30 years,” Jacob said.
Jacob has long expressed interest in being part of a fire department, whether it be in Lake Elmo, or even in Saint Paul. Jacob has learned this from being around the fire department for nearly his entire life with helping out and learning roles in the fire department.
One of Jacob’s friends, junior Jack Bogie, said Jacob is passionate about being a firefighter, and he believes Jacob will actually be a firefighter when he is older.
But Jacob is not walking into this without experience, He has been to Camp Phillips, a firefighting and Emergency Services training camp in Rice Lake, Wis. Jacob has tied this to help him learn more about firefighting, and if this is really what he wants to do with his life.
Sachs did “CPR training, and EMT stuff, and put out actual fires” while doing training at Camp Phillips.
With all of this, Jacob is still the sun in many people’s days, putting smiles on many faces, Jacob makes a positive impact on everyone he meets, even with people he sees every day.
“He’s just a good person, he makes days positive,” junior Ava Wilmes said.
However, Jacob does not feel that he is alone going into this, he has met countless firefighters, and has made friendships and relationships that last a lifetime. He always knows that if things go south, he always has backup and someone to help him out.
“You learn that the fire department’s a family and that you all are there for each other,” Sachs said.
“Go for it. Help out your community,” defines Jacob, always ready to help even in dire situations. Jacob likes to make people happy and do anything he can to make life easier and better for others.
