Our QDR Hometown Hero of the Week is Julien Bacunawa, an EMT and member of the City of Sanford fire service.
His nominator said: “Julien has been a strongly dedicated member of the fire service and an EMT since he was 16 years old. He began his journey at Boone Trail Emergency Services, running calls at a very young age, and quickly found a passion for the service. With his primary focus being the City of Sanford and his love for helping a large county, he has also aided other fire and rescue agencies such as Summerville Bunnlevel Fire and Rescue, where he works part-time, as well as Meadow Fire Department and Dunn Emergency Services. Julien is always finding new ways to learn more about this field by taking classes and thoroughly understanding his job to ensure he gets it done. He also created a program to help young, passionate firefighters by guiding them on the right classes to take and how to perform their jobs thoroughly. His commitment to what he does is absolutely amazing, and it makes me proud to know that one day his son will have the same work ethic and courageous desire to help others the way he does. Most days are tough; being away from home is a struggle, and carrying the weight of a challenging call can be difficult, but he shows up every day for everyone. His hard work, selflessness, dedication, and commitment embody what it means to be a firefighter. Everything he does for his community and helping others every day is what makes him the perfect person to be recognized for all of his accomplishments and hard work. Our family, including his son and me, is so proud of the person he is. We love him more than anything, and he sets such a great example for our little boy of what it means to be a hero.”
Julien, as a token of our appreciation, we’re sending you a $50 gift card to Smithfield’s Chicken ‘N Bar-B-Q to thank you for all you do!