Fire Captain

Department of Forestry and Fire Protection

9/29/1992

Special Act Award (Gold)

Fire Captain Donald F. Smith, on September 29, 1992, performed an extraordinary act of heroism at great risk to his personal safety and life. He saved the lives of thirteen ward/fire crew firefighters from Ventura Youth Conservation Camp and one local volunteer who were trapped under a burnover near Temecula. At approximately 1:00 pm, Captain Smith took his crew to assist on a backfiring operation and spread them out over the fire line. Minutes later the wind began to shift, spot fires erupted over the control line and Captain Smith told the crew to retreat to a safety island. He ordered them to toss chainsaw gasoline as far away as possible and seconds later to deploy their fire shelters. Captain Smith delayed entering his own shelter to coordinate the deployment and to visually ascertain his entire crew was safely in their shelters. Three of the men, unable to deploy their own shelters, got in shelters with others seconds before a wall of flame engulfed them from all sides. Captain Smith was the last to enter his shelter and during the fifteen minute burnover, constantly talked to all crew members by name and radioed for help. Toward the end of the incident, one ward’s shelter and helmet blew off and Smith tried to talk him into joining him or someone else in a shelter. The ward said it was cooler and less smoky outside and Smith saw it was clear and checked to determine if a reverse burnover was possible. He decided it was safe and ordered the crews out of their shelters just as an engine arrived on the scene and began spraying water over them. Through Captain Smith’s leadership and quick actions in the face of disaster the crew survived the burnover with only minor injuries. Captain Smith was not so lucky – he received second and third degree burns to his neck, arms and hands which required a lengthy stay at the Sherman Oaks Burn Center. If not for Captain Smith’s strong leadership and control, it’s very possible the crew would have panicked and been seriously injured or killed.