By Christine Garcia
He doesn’t wear a cape or a supersuit; he’s just an incredible teacher who has applied his scientific theories to real-life emergencies outside the classroom. Just like Clark Kent slipping on his glasses to become Superman, Fountain Valley High School (FVHS) Medical Careers teacher Jared Hartel lives a double life. His two roles as a FVHS teacher and an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) for Knott’s Berry Farm and NASCAR is a reminder that heroes aren’t just found in movies.
Hartel isn’t like other science teachers. Immediately when the second period bell rings, he swaps his classroom setting for the unpredictable chaos of Knott’s Berry Farm, or the occasional swiftness of the NASCAR pit road.
To become a medic for the NASCAR team, the medical staff must undergo strenuous training—an aspect that astonished Hartel.
“[NACAR] would have an annual training where …[NASCAR would] hire actors. They would have fake blood … and they’d have this huge simulation of a car flying off the track and going into the stands,” Hartel said. “[The medical team would have to simulate how to manage that big scenario. Then, [NASCAR] would light cars on fire, and we’d have to deal with live fire exercises.”
This experience was very out of the ordinary for Hartel, as his every move was televised—he couldn’t make any mistakes. In addition, the extreme high energy levels were a stark contrast from his job as an EMT for Knott’s Berry Farm. He was stationed at one of the four bends of the oval or the race car track, where he typically helped with burns, injured fingers and feet. Furthermore, the setting was drastically different as the track tends to be very loud, oftentimes needing to use basic sign language to communicate and properly assist with the task.
Hartel works as a NASCAR medic once a year for the annual NASCAR Cup Series race, held at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California—known as the Auto Club 400. NASCAR has their own medical staff, consisting of people who work normal jobs on the side. Hartel was encouraged to join the staff after his co-worker, whom he calls “Carmy,” had recruited him to the job.
The person who inspired him to chase the high-energy environment is not different from him. Back in high school, Hartel had a teacher—all his students called him ‘chief’—who also lived a double life as an Emergency Medical Responder teacher by day and a firefighter by night.
In high school, Hartel’s parents didn’t have a formal education and the idea of a professional career wasn’t talked about at home. It wasn’t that anyone doubted him, but rather, it was all that he knew. But hearing his teacher talk about life as a firefighter and his adventures made something click within him. For the first time, he could picture a future for himself—a future that’s a blend of action, purpose and giving back to the community.
Being an EMT makes him proud as can be seen in challenge coin collection. People collect stamps or baseball cards, but Hartel collects challenge coins, or small medallions that are used to highlight milestones and each design shows recognition in the EMT community. Hartel is a huge advocate for taking the EMT pathway. In fact, he encourages students to take his class to become an EMT, because it can lead to various career pathways.
“[Taking the EMT pathway] would just be very useful—and that’s for anybody—because essentially, EMT [is a pathway that] … can evolve into anything,” Hartel said.
Hartel’s not the kind of teacher who needs to raise his voice to get your attention. His teaching style is a mix of lighthearted banter and sharp-world knowledge. One minute, he is teaching cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the next, he’s telling a story about his niche experiences as an EMT.
Although he makes balancing three demanding roles look easy, it’s not at all. In fact, it takes stamina and a deep belief in what he does.
Hartel would never call himself a hero. If you called him one, he’d probably just laugh and say, “I’m just doing my job.” But to his students, patients and the people he has helped, his quiet commitment makes a huge difference.
