Rochelle firefighter/paramedic Jon Plaza served active duty in the U.S. Air Force as a vehicle mechanic from 2010 to 2014.

After separating from active duty, he joined the Air National Guard and still serves to this day. He’s coming up on 15 years in the military.

Plaza enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in February 2010. His first duty station was at a naval base in California, where he spent about eight months. He was then transferred to Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas for four years. In 2014, he decided to separate from active duty and enrolled in the Air National Guard unit in Madison, Wisconsin, where he’s been ever since.

Plaza currently is an E6 tech sergeant and hopes to make E7 soon. He’s been on two deployments, one to the United Arab Emirates and another to Saudi Arabia. He’s spent his entire career in vehicle maintenance, starting off working on fire trucks.

“I got into the military to better myself,” Plaza said. “I wanted to be part of something that was bigger than myself. I was kind of into the wrong things at the time, and I wanted a way out. I had a friend I knew in California who got me thinking about the service. He was in the delayed-entry program and had a ship date, and I thought that was cool. I moved back home from California and talked to my parents about it, and it was history after that.”

The choice to stay in the military was easy for Plaza due to the benefits for his family and himself, along with the opportunities to travel and meet people.

At Nellis AFB, Plaza and others in his department were responsible for the maintenance of about 25 fire vehicles, with work including overhauling transmissions, engines and braking systems. A certain amount of firefighting equipment had to be ready at a moment’s notice so planes could fly.

“It was long days and long hours to get vehicles back in service and fixed so planes could be put in the sky so they could train,” Plaza said. “It’s the same with the Air National Guard. As years go by, you branch out into other equipment, like heavy machinery such as bulldozers and excavators, and material-handling equipment such as forklifts and loaders. I’ve worked on ground equipment like people movers. And I’m in a supervisor role now, and you have to understand how everything works.”

Plaza originally planned to be a firefighter in the military when he enlisted, but he was moved to fire truck maintenance. Years later, in Rochelle, he finally met his end goal after meeting people and gaining a wealth of knowledge.

During his first deployment, Plaza experienced his first sandstorm and responded to aircraft emergencies with the fire department. He went off base and experienced different cultures and met people from different walks of life, which he enjoyed.

Values learned in his time in the service have stuck with Plaza.

“The biggest thing I’ve taken away from my service is the importance of selflessness,” Plaza said. “And I still use it today in my career field. Sometimes people have things going on in their lives, and you have to pick up the slack because that’s what needs to be done. Integrity is another big one – doing the right thing even if no one is around to see it. The military hammers that into you.”

After active duty, Plaza moved to Naperville and worked various jobs before enrolling at the College of DuPage and earning an associate degree in fire science. He moved to Rochelle in 2017 and began working with the Flagg Center fire station in 2018. After that, he worked to become a certified firefighter and paramedic and was hired full time by the Rochelle Fire Department.

“I love my job because we have a great group of people,” Plaza said. “I can’t imagine working with anyone else. I like helping people, and it’s awesome to make a difference in someone’s life, especially in their time of need. When someone calls 911, they don’t care who comes. They just want somebody to fix their problem. Our firefighters on other shifts and our administration and staff are awesome.”

Plaza described the differences between firefighting in the military and for the Rochelle Fire Department. He worked on Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting trucks specific to aircraft fires, along with trucks for structure fires. ARFF trucks are capable of pumping water and foam while on the move. The operation is all done from inside the truck, and there are water and foam turrets located around the truck with sight lines for operators.

“Usually, there are hand lines that firefighters can pull off either side of the rig to keep fighting the fire,” Plaza said. “There’s command on scene giving orders, and you’re constantly doing a 360-degree rotation of the aircraft to figure out what’s involved and where the fire is moving. That is the same here. The gear is different due to aircraft having more ignitable fluids with aircraft fuel and hydraulics that can burn hotter.”

Plaza credits his enlistment as the reason he’s in the position he holds today. His service taught him technical skills and values he puts to use at the Rochelle Fire Department each day.

“Mechanic skills, leadership, communication, determination and everything else I learned in the service help me in my job today,” Plaza said. “I can turn and pivot on a dime when I need to be flexible.

“Things can change from second to second. Everything is fluid in this career field. You might be at a lift-assist call one minute, and then you’re responding to a [hazardous materials] call the next minute. You have to always be prepared and ready. And the military gave me that. I’m ready at a moment’s notice, no matter what.”