Brandon Soliz wanted to be a firefighter ever since he was 6 years old.

“He wanted to save lives,” said Deborah Brake, his mother. “He graduated from the Coral Springs Fire Academy in May 2007 and then completed his emergency medical technician course. He was going to start looking for a job as a firefighter.”

On Oct. 30 last year, a careless driver driving east on the westbound lanes of the Sawgrass Expressway crashed into the pickup truck of the Coral Springs resident. Soliz died instantly, as did the other driver. For Brake, it is now all about keeping her son’s dream alive.

“He never got to actually save lives,” Brake said. “Now, I want to help someone else become a firefighter. The Brandon Soliz Future Fire Fighters Scholarship Fund, the nonprofit organization that I have formed, will raise money to help members of low-income families in the community join the Coral Springs Fire Academy. If I can send one person to the academy for the rest of my life, I will be happy.”

This Saturday, Brake will be joined by her family members, friends, city officials, Fire Academy staff and students, as well as many of Soliz’s friends, at a tree planting ceremony. A plaque in his memory is also to be displayed in front of the academy.