State Traffic Officer

California Highway Patrol

1/19/1990

Special Service Award (Silver)

State Traffic Officers Craig E. Muehleisen, Thomas R. Greenstone, and Annette Hirschi on January 19, 1990, performed an extraordinary act of heroism at great risk to their personal safety and life in rescuing a woman and a ten-year-old child from a burning wooden residence. At approximately 0100 hours Officers Greenstone and Hirschi were entering Interstate 5 northbound in the city of Leucadia when they observed thick smoke near a gasoline station located west of the freeway. Upon arrival at the location they observed thick smoke coming from the two-story house next to the gasoline station. Observing flames inside the rear portion of the house, the officers began yelling to alert any occupants. Within seconds, a female exited down the outside stairway. As officers escorted her to safety she was unable to confirm whether others were in the house. Officer Greenstone proceeded to work his way through thick smoke outside the residence to a partially opened door. Hearing coughing and crying sounds coming from the room, he entered the room on his hands and knees. With only an 18” air space he moved through the dense smoke to an area near the far corner where he thought he saw a bed. Unable to locate anyone and overcome by smoke he was forced to retreat. Unwilling to give up, both Officers Hirschi and Greenstone made two more attempts to locate any occupants, before being forced to retreat. Refreshed, Officer Hirschi entered the room again, and within seconds the beam of her flashlight illuminated a white object moving on the floor approximately five feet away. As she approached the object she saw it was a child. Grabbing her around the waist, she dragged her toward the exit. As she reached the door, Officer Greenstone took the child and handed her to Officer Muehleisen, who had just arrived on the scene. Upon being advised that there were probably more people inside, Officer Muehleisen approached the open door. Despite the ever present danger with windows popping and the ceiling ablaze and a tremendous amount of heat being generated by the flames, he placed a scarf around his face, knelt down and crawled into the room. Forced back twice by the smoke and flames, the officers moved away from the burning structure.