Officer

California Highway Patrol

8/22/2002

Special Act Award (Gold)

California Highway Patrol Sergeant Lynne Blum, and Officers Andrey English and Troy King, on August 22, 2002, performed acts of heroism at risk to their personal safety by rescuing a victim from a burning vehicle. At approximately 3:17 a.m., Sergeant Blum, and Officers English and King, were working routine patrol in West Los Angeles, when they responded to a call for assistance at the scene of a traffic collision. The driver, Mr. Juan Herrera, was trapped inside his burning pick-up, which was wedged against the center divider wall. The driver, who was initially unconscious, awoke disoriented and started to panic as the fire began to enter through the fire wall around his feet. The Fire Department had not yet arrived on the scene. Sergeant Blum and Officers English and King decided any further delay in responding to this situation would likely result in the loss of the driver's life. The officers were unable to extricate the driver from the passenger side and retreated from the pick-up truck. The driver was still incoherent but becoming more aware he was starting to catch fire. He was resisting efforts by the officers to free him. Sergeant Blum and Officers English and King, with flames raging around them from the engine compartment and the melting dashboard, continued to work feverishly and were able to pull the driver to safety from the burning pick-up truck, just as the passenger compartment became fully engulfed. The driver who sustained major injuries was transported to a local hospital.