Mishawaka Firefighter Alek Escobedo didn't always dream of becoming a firefighter, but his journey from aspiring police officer to Navy corpsman, and now to respected firefighter and strongman competitor, has led him to a career he deeply loves.
After graduating from Mishawaka High School, Escobedo attended Anderson University where he played football and studied athletic training. However, after his sophomore year, he decided to come back home to go to Indiana University South Bend (IUSB).
At lUSB, Escobedo shifted his focus, changing his major to criminal justice with the aim of becoming a police officer. To gain experience, he took a job as a bouncer at local bars.
While he was at work one day, a firefighter struck up a conversation with Escobedo and convinced him to consider a different career path.
“I started working as a bouncer at some bars when a fireman approached me and said, ‘You don’t want to be a cop, you want to be a fireman,’ so, I applied to the Clay Fire Academy and got accepted in 2011,” Escobedo said.
After completing his training, Escobedo worked as a firefighter for about a year. However, there weren’t any full-time positions available at the time, so he made the decision to enlist in the U.S. Navy.
“I served as a Navy corpsman, which is essentially a medic in the Navy,” Escobedo said. “I enlisted in November 2012, graduated from boot camp in January 2013, and then attended corpsman school to train as a medic, along with learning some nursing skills. After that, I went through field med training to become a field corpsman, allowing me to attach to the Marines. I spent about two years at the Naval Hospital at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, before being assigned to the First Battalion, Third Marines in Hawaii, where I was a Greenside corpsman — basically a Marine until someone got injured.”
While he was still in the Navy, Escobedo’s wife had bought a house in Mishawaka, so after leaving the Navy in 2018, he returned home and worked for the City of Mishawaka’s street department. However, he was determined to return to the fire service. After applying at multiple fire departments — South Bend, Mishawaka, and Elkhart — he was finally hired at the Mishawaka Fire Department.
Escobedo enjoys learning new ways to better serve the community through his job.
“My favorite part of my job is that it has so many different aspects,” Escobedo said. “I love being a jack of all trades for the City of Mishawaka.”
Whether he’s responding to a medical emergency, putting out a fire, or dealing with a car accident, Escobedo’s passion for firefighting goes beyond simply answering the call.
“I think to myself, that could be my mom, my dad, or my brother,” Escobedo said. “I always try to make people smile during calls. I’m able to connect with a lot of people, and I just focus on being kind.”
Outside of firefighting, Escobedo enjoys spending time with his family and playing with his son, who just started kindergarten. He’s also passionate about strength training and even represented the area in the World’s Strongest Firefighter contest in Columbus, Ohio earlier this year, finishing in sixth place.
“I’ve always been a bigger guy and love lifting weights, so I’ve been a powerlifter on and off since 2010,” Escobedo said. “Recently, I started competing in strongman events, which I feel really complements the physical demands of firefighting. I wasn’t looking for any kind of major recognition — it’s just something fun to do. If I can represent my area or my department in a positive way, then I’ve done my job.”