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It’s said that necessity is the mother of invention, and for Dan Fernandez ’11, that has certainly been true as he has navigated his career. A decade ago, Fernandez left the corporate world for a job that better suited his personality and his goals.

“I hated the office environment,” he admits. “It was so stuffy.”

A friend encouraged him to apply for a job with the Virginia Beach Fire Department. There, he finally found the fit he was looking for.

“In the fire department, I wasn’t tethered to a desk or a cubicle,” he explains. “It was fun, let me give back to the community, and allowed me to stay in shape. It was the perfect combination.”

This article was posted by the �����鱨վ Alumni Association in July 2026. to learn how firefighter and entrepreneur Dan Fernandez turned a personal study aid into a simulation tool now used by dozens of firefighters.