Staff Spotlight: Jovan Blake
Meet Jovan Blake, an architectural designer here at COAR and a San Francisco Firefighter!
If you had asked young Jovan what he wanted to be when he grew up, he would have enthusiastically said, “a firefighter!” However, Jovan developed another passion: architecture. Whether it was through building Lego sets or watching the history show “Modern Marvels,” his interest in building started from an early age. Jovan’s desire to work in the fire service never wavered and he decided to pursue both a career in architecture and the fire service simultaneously.
“I started working as a firefighter when I was nineteen years old,” said Jovan. “I started with CAL FIRE in Santa Cruz County, and I worked as a seasonal firefighter during the summer and during the fall while I was going to architecture school. I was kind of doing both routes at the same time.”
Upon graduating architecture school from the University of San Francisco in 2009, Jovan took a full time job with CAL FIRE, and then transferred to the San Francisco Fire Department in 2013. Through his years in the firefighting service, his passion for the career continued to grow.
“I like the fact that there’s a lot of problem solving,” said Jovan. “It’s challenging at times but the reward is that you get to help people. I like that you get to see the fruits of your labor. You show up to a call and you don’t really know what you’re going to get. You’re usually responding to someone’s worst day. For us, it's another day at the office. For others it's maybe the one or two times they’ll have to call us in their whole life. That's why it's important to us as firefighters to treat every call with the utmost care, professionalism and high level of service that it deserves.”
While still maintaining his career in the fire service, Jovan decided to jointly pursue a career in architecture. Jovan joined our team in April 2023, a perfect fit as COAR has specialized in public safety and fire station design since 1992. Jovan explained the parallels he noticed working in both the fire service and the AEC industry.
“In both jobs you are presented with problems and challenges and you have to come up with a solution,” said Jovan. “And in both jobs there’s that tangible reward aspect where once you are done with the work you get to see something to show for it. Whether it’s taking someone to the hospital after you did CPR, and they made it, or you’re starting with a dirt lot and you’re building a fire station, it’s cool to see the fruits of your labor at the end of the job.”
As a firefighter, Jovan is able to look at fire station design not just from an architectural perspective, but from an end-user perspective as well. This includes the function and aesthetic of a station, with an added knowledge of firehouse culture and camaraderie.
“The station I’m at now was built in the 1930’s and we have just one big dorm room. There’s little nuances, like when the engine gets a run and the truck doesn’t, the lights come on and the truck guys throw a few jabs at the engine guys, like ‘have fun while we’re sleeping,’" said Jovan. “Those little cultural things are lost when the design overlooks those little nuances. Maybe from a builder point of view, it may be comfortable for everyone to have their own dorm room, but that’s one aspect of the firehouse that’s lost and can take away from the culture. And there’s so many little examples of that. Sometimes those things get lost in translation because the guys in the firehouse aren’t the ones making those decisions.”
We’re excited to have Jovan’s first-hand knowledge of living and working in a fire station on our team, as Jovan can take into consideration all aspects of the design and help preserve those important community aspects a fire station can have.
“Over the course of my career so far, I have run many, many calls, and I have had the privilege of having many lasting memories, stories of calls, and experiences,” said Jovan. “But honestly… one thing that really stands out to me above all of that, is the fact that I have had the honor of working alongside some great people. My favorite memories always revolve around the time I’ve spent with my team at the firehouse, the camaraderie, the shared experience of being in the trenches, so to speak. I am constantly humbled by the people I work around, their dedication, their bravery, their professionalism. It has made me constantly check my own self as I measure myself against them and strive to be a better person, dad, firefighter.”
When he isn’t alternating between his two passion-fueled careers, you can find this San Francisco native spending time with his family, traveling, and playing the drums. Jovan skillfully balances both his careers, making time for all his interests. Located out of our Santa Rosa office, Jovan and his family have also integrated into the surrounding Santa Rosa and Petaluma community.
“A lot of [our community] revolves around my kids,” said Jovan. “We’ve got them in sporting activities, and my daughter is playing piano right now. Whether it's taking them to soccer practice or soccer games, or swimming, or school events, our social life really revolves around the kids in this season of life.”
At COAR, Jovan appreciates learning from his teammates and approaches his projects with an open-mind and passion to learn.
“I feel like there’s so much to learn and so it makes me excited to come to work,” said Jovan. “Each day I’m learning a little more and more and I enjoy that part. It keeps you humble.”
Jovan is a great example of pursuing your interests, no matter how seemingly different they may be. We’re thankful he chose COAR as a place to further his architecture career, and look forward to seeing what Jovan designs next!
“As a kid, I grew up playing with a lot of Legos and blocks and the first Duplo set that I remember getting as a kid was one that my mom got me, which was actually a fire station,” said Jovan. “I was reflecting on that and I wonder if that was a little seed that was planted for these two paths that are totally different.”