by Karen Zarsadiaz-Ige. Photo credit: Douglas Morrison.
Sworn and civilian members of the Los Angeles County Fire Department were recognized and honored in front of hundreds of loved ones and friends at the 2017 Valor Awards on Wednesday, May 10, 2017. KABC-TV news anchor Marc Brown served as the emcee of the awards ceremony which was held inside the Pasadena Convention Center.
Fire Chief Daryl Osby addresses the audience at the 2017 Valor Awards.
“These are outstanding examples of Fire Department employees,” said Fire Chief Daryl Osby. “There’s nothing more noble than protecting and serving others. Tonight, we will honor those who do that.”
The Department presented Medals of Valor, Certificates of Valor, Unit Citations, Certificates of Merit, Letters of Commendation and Exemplary Service Awards at the event.
The Medal of Valor is the highest honor bestowed upon a member of the Department. It is given to uniformed personnel in the Department who exhibit courage above and beyond the call of duty, risking their life to save another under conditions that put them at extreme personal risk.
The Certificate of Valor is bestowed upon a member of the Department or a citizen. It is given to those who exhibited courage above and beyond the call of duty in saving a life or attempting to save a life, even if their actions placed them at extreme personal risk.
A Unit Citation is presented to Department personnel who, as a team, went above and beyond the call of duty in saving a life or attempting to save a life.
Certificates of Merit are awarded to any individual who exhibits courage in saving a life or attempting to save a life, and/or whose actions put them at significant risk.
A Letter of Commendation is granted to any individual for acts that were of unusual character requiring the initiative or ability worthy of recognition.
Exemplary Service Awards are given to those who have exhibited one of the Department’s six core values — integrity, teamwork, caring, courage, commitment and community — through their actions and work.
KABC-TV news anchor Marc Brown emceed the event.
At this year’s Valor Awards ceremony, two members of the Department received Medals of Valor. Battalion Chief Gerald Gonzales was honored for rescuing and providing medical care for victims as part of USA Task Force 2 (USA-2) after a large earthquake and aftershocks struck Nepal. Fire Fighter Connor Bauman was recognized for rescuing a woman who was trapped as flames were quickly approaching her home during the Sand Fire.
Certificates of Valor were presented to Deputy Orlando Macias, Deputy Jacqueline Morales, Fire Fighter Paramedic Dennis Cota and Fire Fighter John Walser. Macias and Morales helped save an elderly couple from their burning home in Temple City, while Cota and Walser rescued two women in Carson who were trapped behind barred windows of their home.
The Unit Citation was granted to Fire Captain Fred Salmo, Fire Fighter Specialist Jeff Wilk, Fire Fighter Paramedic Robert Apodaca, Fire Fighter Paramedic Jerry Guzman, Fire Fighter Paramedic Mitchell Orsatt and Fire Fighter David Chavez. The team found itself in the middle of the “hot zone” of an active shooter on Election Day, November 8, 2016. Working together, they provided immediate life-saving medical care to two victims with gunshot wounds who were flown to LAC+USC Medical Center.
Certificates of Merit were given to Fire Captain Keith Mora, Fire Fighter Paramedic Randall Duarte and Fire Fighter Paramedic Stanley Maloof, Fire Fighter Brandon Murillo, Fire Fighter Joe Peinado. Mora came to the aid of a father and his two daughters after they were rear-ended in a tragic fatal accident on the 405 freeway. Duarte and Maloof saved a woman’s life when her car landed in the path of a fast-approaching train. Murillo and Peinado helped rescue two women in Carson who were trapped behind barred windows of their home.
Letters of Commendation were handed to Fire Captain Corey Diggs, Fire Captain Dave Haley, Fire Captain Joe Sweeny, Fire Fighter Specialist Greg Dahlmeier, Fire Fighter Specialist Joseph Hanes, Fire Fighter Paramedic Mark Chavez, Fire Fighter Randal Southwick, Fire Dispatcher II Justin Flores, Deputy Lovell Brown, Jr., Deputy Joseph Carlson, Deputy Melvin Castrol, Deputy Timothy Cho, Deputy Scott Holdsworth, Deputy Thomas Leonetti, Deputy Jerry Lopez, Deputy Alonzo Peoples and Dwayne Dotson. Diggs, Haley, Hanes, Chavez, Brown, Carlson, Castro, Cho, Holdsworth, Leonetti, Lopez, Peoples and Dotson helped rescue two women in Carson who were trapped behind barred windows of their home. Sweeny jumped in to help subdue a man who had attacked first responders that were attempting to fight a fire he intentionally set at his home. Dahlmeier came to the aid of a father and his two daughters after they were rear-ended in a tragic fatal accident on the 405 freeway. Southwick successfully rescued a quadriplegic man who was trapped in his electric wheelchair at the bottom of a chilly, 10-foot deep swimming pool. Flores provided life-saving CPR instructions to a man whose wife had passed out in the shower.
Exemplary Service Awards were presented to several recipients as follows:
COMMUNITY:
- Fire Station 14
- Fire Captain Scott Ross
- Fire Fighter Paramedic Todd Hood
COMMITMENT:
- Recruit EMT Training
- Fire Fighter Specialist Craig Ross
- Fire Fighter Paramedic Gabriel Larios
- Fire Fighter Paramedic Pete Martinez
- Fire Fighter Paramedic Mike Nelson
- Sheri Castaneda, Senior Secretary III
- Clayton Kazan, MD, Medical Director
- Leticia Pacillas, Community Services Liaison
- Nicole Steeneken, Quality Improvement Program Director
- David Thornton, Power Equipment Specification Writer
- Mike (Mahendra) Visnagra, Supervising Fire Prevention Engineering Assistant
- Ricky Washington, Chief Cook
- Jeff Wiener, Refrigeration Mechanic
TEAMWORK:
- Fire Captain Bob Cormack
- Fire Captain Larry Duran
- Fire Captain David Murrietta
- Fire Fighter Specialist Al Aguirre
- Fire Fighter Specialist Max Bell III
- Fire Fighter Specialist Todd Smith
- Fire Fighter Paramedic Leonard Cruz
- Fire Fighter Paramedic Justin Kalnas
- Fire Fighter Paramedic James McDonald
- Fire Fighter Paramedic Gregg Ross
- Fire Fighter William Gilles III
- Fire Fighter Ceaser Gonzalez
- Fire Fighter Michael Hetrick
- Fire Fighter Michael Keeney
- Fire Fighter Albert Sanchez
- Fire Fighter Trainee Jonathon Plasencia
- EMS Education and Training Section
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