Poway High HOF: Sanchez has dedicated life to making Poway safe

May 28, 2014 3:21 PM PT

By Emily Sorensen

A Poway High graduate who has dedicated his life to making Poway safer is being named to the PHS Hall of Fame.

Mark Sanchez, who graduated from Poway High School in 1973, is one of five inductees into the 2014 Hall of Fame. Sanchez, the City of Poway’s Director of Safety Services, began his career in fire fighting while still at Poway High School.

While Sanchez graduated as a senior in 1973, he had actually completed all his units to graduate at the end of his junior year. “I went to a lot of summer school,” said Sanchez. “I took all the hardest courses in summer school, because everyone said to do them in the summer and not stretch them out over the school year.”

Though he technically finished early, Sanchez said his parents encouraged him to attend at least part of his senior year. “They said I would miss out on too many fun events as a senior,” said Sanchez, who stayed through the first semester before leaving to attend Palomar College his second semester of senior year.

It was during his time at Poway High, however, that Sanchez started his four-decade long career with the City of Poway. At 15, Sanchez became a volunteer fire fighter for the Poway Municipal Water District. “One incentive was that if there was a major emergency, the person at the fire station would immediately call the volunteers at the high school, and either have us go to the fire station or straight out to the emergency,” said Sanchez. “We got to miss school.” As a teenage volunteer, Sanchez also had duty nights at the station, where he would spend the night.

While a volunteer firefighter in high school, Sanchez said he helped fight some wildlands fires, and also helped with the Big Bear Market fire in Poway.

Though he also looked into forestry management, Sanchez’s destiny was ultimately to remain in Poway as a firefighter. When he was 18, Sanchez learned that the Poway Municipal Water District was planning on expanding and was going to hire eight more firefighters. He didn’t plan on applying until a friend encouraged him to apply alongside him. Sanchez got the job. “I became a full-time firefighter in Poway at 18,” said Sanchez. Sanchez also interviewed at the time with Cal Fire San Bernadino and the forest unit, but said he chose to stay in Poway because it was his hometown.

Over four decades later, Sanchez is still with the fire department in his hometown. He spent 10 years as a firefighter before being named as Fire Chief in 1984, and Battalion Chief in 1986. In 1990, he was promoted to the Director of Safety Services, a position he remains in.

“I love my job,” said Sanchez. “My goal is to learn something new every day. I love the people who work here. I’m always going downstairs to visit them.”

Though Sanchez’s job doesn’t officially begin until 7:30 a.m., he’s at work by 6 a.m. so he can spend time in the morning visiting the firefighters at Poway’s three fire stations. “I try to visit each station during the week,” said Sanchez. “They’re hard workers. I care about them, and I care about their families.”

Sanchez said he was “humbled and surprised” to be named to the PHS Hall of Fame. “I had no clue whatsoever,” said Sanchez. “I’m honored to be part of the Hall of Fame.”

The inductees will be honored at a celebration at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, May 31 at the Country Club of Rancho Bernardo, 12280 Greens East Road in Rancho Bernardo.

This event is open to the public, and will include a buffet dinner and a no-host bar. Music will be provided by the Poway High School Jazz Band. Tickets to the event are $35, and are available, along with more information, at the Poway High Foundation website,