LA Fire Department honors fire crews, civilians who saved women during fiery crash

In a Wednesday, Aug. 12 ceremony at Peacock Place at L.A. Live, Los Angeles Fire Department officials honored crews from Engine 10 and Truck 10, as well as a group of local civilians for the rescue of two women trapped inside a burning vehicle during a 2015 fire in the downtown area. Both women survived.

All told, 12 LAFD members and 11 other residents were honored for their life-saving actions. According to the department officials, firefighters executed a “high-risk extraction” with the vehicle engulfed in flames, working alongside local citizens, to pull both victims to safety.

At 7:38 a.m. on Oct. 19, a vehicle struck a light standard on Francisco Street, near Olympic Boulevard, and caught fire. Two women were trapped inside. Before firefighters arrived, security staff and employees from LA Live and the JW Marriott Hotel moved in to help. According to officials, the good Samaritans were able free one of the two trapped passengers.

When Task Force 10 and Rescue Ambulance 10 crews arrived, they discovered the other passenger, pinned under collapsed seating in the back seat,  restrained by her seatbelt. Firefighters “carried out a coordinated extrication,” and freed the woman in about 90 seconds, officials said.

“Recognition is not a formality,” said Fire Chief Jaime Moore. “It is how an organization tells its own people what it values. Both women survived because a team of civilians and firefighters refused to let that car be the last thing either of them ever saw.”

LAFD recognized these civilians for therosim: Priscilla Martinez, Yahir Hernandez, Luis Bello, Annett Lathan, Bryan Canas, Kyle Harrell, Skye Smith, Devic Galeas, Ashley Palencia, Adriana Garcia, and Christopher Wofford.

Among the LAFD personnel honored: Captain Mike Seiser, Engineer Steve Martineau, Firefighter/Paramedic Tristan Winterhalter, Firefighter Cole Thomas, CII Matthew Stratton, Apparatus Operator Mike Villata, Firefighter Vitus Pinto, Firefighter Andrew Austel, Firefighter Brian Barry, Engineer Brandon Colburn, Firefighter/Paramedic Danny Valle, Firefighter Sean Kennedy, and Firefighter/Paramedic Isaiah Hoeppner.

LAFD thanked AEG for coordinating the ceremony and Lazy Dog for hosting.