Fire Captain

Department of Forestry and Fire Protection

5/1/2010

Special Act Award (Gold)

On May 1, 2010 at 5:21 a.m., Fire Captain Alfredo Danny Suarez responded to a residential structure fire in Atwater. The Emergency Command Center in Mariposa advised the responding units that a person was still inside the structure. Upon arrival, Captain Suarez reported back to the command center that a single family dwelling was fully involved and requested the next incoming unit assume the role of Incident Commander. Without hesitation, Captain Suarez and a Merced County Firefighter donned Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus. A bystander informed Captain Suarez that the person in the structure might be located inside a bedroom in the back left corner of the home. Captain Suarez advanced a hose line into the structure, while the other firefighter stood by the doorway. Faced with poor visibility from dense smoke and intense heat from the fire inside the structure, Captain Suarez proceeded through the living room to the hallway that led to that back bedroom. Captain Suarez found an unresponsive female lying on the floor and dragged her back to the front door where other firefighters could assist him. Captain Suarez, a licensed Paramedic, performed CPR until an ambulance arrived and subsequently transported the woman to a local hospital. The State of California takes great pride in presenting Fire Captain Alfredo Danny Suarez, this Gold Medal of Valor, for his extraordinary act of heroism extending far above and beyond the normal call of duty or service.