State Forest Ranger II

Department of Forestry and Fire Protection

12/2/1973

Special Act Award (Gold)

On December 2, 1973, In the late afternoon, State Forest Ranger Ray Richard Little heard a low-flying airplane pass over his home at the Growlersburg Conservation Camp near Georgetown, El Dorado County. Recognizing by the sound of the aircraft’s engine that it was in serious trouble and might not reach the local airport, he got into his car and headed for the landing strip about a mile away. Seconds later he spotted a fire in the distance on a tree-and brush-covered slope and, suspecting the crippled plane was the cause, headed for the scene. There he found the wreckage of the single-engine, magnesium construction craft burning intensely, and saw that the gasoline from one of the wing tanks had ruptured when the plane smashed into the trees. A man hung limply from his seatbelt. Ray Little, both an experienced pilot and fireman, fully cognizant of the hazards to which he was exposing himself, dared to enter the mass of flames where he discovered a middle-aged woman entangled in the ruins outside the cockpit area. He was able to remove the woman from the fire but the now-raging inferno prevented him from returning for the man or other possible victims within the plane. He then radioed for assistance. It was later determined the pilot of the plane and his lady passenger died of injuries suffered in the crash immediately upon impact. State Forest Ranger Ray Richard Little performed an extraordinary act of heroism at great risk to his own safety and life in attempting to save the lives of the victims.