Fire Captain

Department of Forestry and Fire Protection

3/18/1968

Special Act Award (Gold)

On March 18, 1968, Fire Captain Delbert Tate performed and extraordinary act of heroism at great risk to his own safety and life to save the lives of two men trapped by a cave-in at the bottom of a construction ditch. Contractors were installing a sewer line in the area of the Sunnymead Fire Station in Riverside County. The fire station was normally staffed with one professional firefighter and supplemented with on call volunteer firefighters, a second professional firefighter and a state radio technician were at the fire station for other department business. The firefighters were alerted that a cave-in had occurred at the sewer line construction site. Fire Captains George McGuire and Delbert Tate along with Radio Technician Ronald James answered the alarm. Two men - Lloyd Self and James Hansen were working at the bottom of a 13-foot deep trench when the bank gave way and completely covered them with loose dirt. The rescuers succeeded in uncovering Self’s head, but more loose dirt slipped into the trench. Captain McGuire then placed himself between Self and the sliding dirt. He was buried to his waist and Captain Tate was buried to his knees. Despite this set back, McGuire, Tate and James continued their rescue operations, managing to uncover and revive the two buried men.