Fire Apparatus Engineer Paramedic

Department of Forestry and Fire Protection

4/11/2022

Special Act Award (Gold)

At 11:25 p.m. on April 11, 2022, off-duty Fire Apparatus Engineer Paramedic Chris Acevedo was at home with his family getting ready for bed. While upstairs, his daughter looked out the window and could see flames coming out of a large two-story home across the street. She notified her dad, who then ran across the street into the burning home. Mr. Acevedo made entry through the front door and yelled, “Is anyone in here?” Hearing mumbling coming from the second floor, Mr. Acevedo found and climbed the stairs. He quickly located a male victim and dragged him out of the burning home to safety. Mr. Acevedo remembered that a small child and two older adults lived in the home as well. By this time, Mr. Acevedo’s wife and father were yelling for him not to go back in, but he was compelled to enter the burning home once more to search for potential victims. He again made his way up the stairs but was pushed back by the smoke and heat. Going back down the stairs, he performed a search of the first floor before exiting, suffering from smoke inhalation. Both Mr. Acevedo and the victim were transported to the local hospital for treatment. It was later determined that thankfully the other residents were not home at the time of the fire. The State of California takes great pride in presenting the Gold Medal of Valor to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Fire Apparatus Engineer Paramedic Chris Acevedo for his extraordinary act of heroism extending far above and beyond the normal call of duty.