Joel Martinez is Running for His Life…and Yours

The life of a first responder is full of challenges, both mental and physical. Keeping alert and in shape is critical to their mission of protecting property and saving lives. 33-year-old Joel Martinez with the Fort Myers Beach Fire District likes to run for fitness, and now he will run for Gold in the 2025 World Police & Fire Games (WPFG) this June in Birmingham, Alabama.

“We have a lot of high-rise buildings on Fort Myers Beach,” Joel says. “When a fire knocks out an elevator, I might go up 16 flights of stairs with all my gear to get to the fire. I did some high school track and cross country, and I do a lot of the local 5Ks and 10Ks, so running is how I got in shape for this job. Competing has made me a better firefighter overall. I think they go hand in hand for me to push myself.”

Joel learned about WPFG, which has been gathering thousands of first responders from around the globe every two years since 1985, when he traveled to compete in the U.S. Police & Fire Championships in San Diego in 2023. He was inspired to be among his peers and is excited for his upcoming international competition in the Half Marathon and 10K Road Race events in Birmingham.

“It's a different world to see everyone coming together as first responders,” Joel observes. “We're not Olympians but we all want to compete and I'm excited to see everyone’s passion doing what they love. I want to test myself to see how good I can possibly become.”

The fleet fireman has the desire to serve his community and is on the front line when hurricanes impact Florida’s west coast, including last year. “I'm part of the urban search and rescue team, and when those hurricanes came in we were the first boots on the ground to go in and start getting people and walking through everything before it was clear,” he recalls. “I was nervous, but it's what I trained for.”

Being in top shape to save lives when called on is essential, but Joel says serving the community goes well beyond responding to emergencies. “I think a big part of our job is doing public service. Anytime there’s an event on the beach we get the engine down there just to be part of it. We do beach cleanup all the time. We help with anything we can, and it's nice to see everybody coming back.”

Joel even has local notoriety as a three-time shrimp eating champion. “Fort Myers Beach has a shrimp festival every year, and the department sponsored me in the contest for three years. I won every time, and then gave the reins to another firefighter to take over last year because I was starting training to compete.”

The motivation to serve others is rooted in Joel’s family. “My dad was in the military and was a first responder. My older brother's a first responder as well,” he explains. “I've had a lot of help growing up, and I feel like helping others has always been the right thing to do.”

“I just want people to be active, more active,” he continues. “I've already gotten others to start running and doing events. The more I can push for my team to be active helps us with our job.”

By Del Moon