SAVANNAH, Ga. () — At the heart of Savannah is Fire Station 5, one of the busiest companies in the city; no two days look the same. Among the members of the station is Advanced Firefighter Raziel Robles, who moved from México with his parents as a child and has served the city for the past four years.

Robles became a firefighter after being inspired by his daughter, a motivation that keeps driving him through the long 24-hour shifts he spends at the station. He says she inspired him and motivated him to do better.

Station 5 operates around the clock, responding to calls that may come at any hour. During a recent shift, the team of firefighters responded to a car crash that occurred a few blocks away from the station. Robles said this was an example of the emergency calls they get every day.

“You know, people get hurt all the time or, you know, they need something—and that’s fine, that’s what we’re here for,” he said. “We’re here to make your day a little bit better.”

For Robles, being a firefighter is more than answering calls; it’s also about representing his culture and community with pride.

“You’ve got to be prideful. That’s one thing that a lot of people sometimes lack of is pride,” he says. “I am prideful, I’m glad that I’m here, and I’m glad I get to represent.”

Robles is currently the only Hispanic firefighter at Station 5, but he hopes to inspire others—especially young people—to see themselves in the profession.

“However, they see me, you know, like, ‘all right, I can relate’ or ‘I want to be a firefighter.’ You know, it’s not just for certain people,” he said. “Everybody can do it, so hopefully that sticks to them, and they see that, and we make a difference in little kids’ lives.”

Robles spends roughly 100 days of the year on duty at the station, where the truck, gear and fellow firefighters have become a second home and family.

For Robles, Hispanic heritage is not just something celebrated in a month. It is something that he carries with pride every day, in and out of his uniform.