Fire Captain

Department of Forestry and Fire Protection

6/26/2008

Special Act Award (Gold)

On June 26, 2008, a Boy Scout troop was camping in the remote Wilson Lake area of eastern Fresno County. At approximately 1:30 p.m., a fourteen-year-old member of the troop was crossing a stream when a boulder, estimated to weigh about 10 tons, rolled and trapped the boy’s leg between it and another boulder. At approximately 6:00 p.m., the CAL FIRE Fresno Kings Unit Emergency Command Center received a 911 emergency call from the Boy Scout leader who had hiked over 10 miles to summon help. A request was immediately sent out for the CAL FIRE Fresno County Fire Technical Rescue Team and the Army National Guard Black Hawk Helicopter with high altitude and night vision technology. At about 11:00 p.m., the helicopter arrived in Fresno and the rescue team was informed that the military crew would have to remain with the helicopter, thus limiting the rescue attempt to only one fire department team member. CAL FIRE Fire Captain Jeff Young immediately volunteered and began assessing the rescue situation and selecting the rescue equipment he believed would be necessary for the operation and that did not exceed the weight limitations of the helicopter. He and the crew left shortly thereafter. Around midnight, the helicopter landed in the safest and closest location it could. With the assistance of two Army National Guard Helicopter crewmen, Fire Captain Young led a 45 minute hike, in the dark, through treacherously steep rocky terrain while carrying rescue equipment and using a handheld GPS unit and flashlight to reach the boy’s location. After nearly three hours of rescue efforts, Fire Captain Young and the team were able to move the 10 ton boulder just far enough to free the boy’s leg. Fire Captain Young and the helicopter crew then administered medial aid and carried the boy for more than an hour over the treacherous terrain and back to the helicopter for transport to the nearest trauma center. Fire Captain Young’s actions, without regard for his personal safety, saved the young boy.