Fire Captain Specialist, Fresno-Kings Administrative Unit

Department of Forestry and Fire Protection

2/25/2010

Special Act Award (Gold)

On the morning of Thursday, February 25, 2010, CAL FIRE employees Craig Tolmie and Ron Eldridge, along with Law Enforcement Officers from the CAL FIRE Fresno-Kings Unit and the Fresno County Sheriff’s Department, were serving a search warrant at a residence in the community of Minkler. A man at the residence was suspected of setting eleven arson fires and shooting at inhabited dwellings in which a citizen was injured by gunfire. While attempting to serve the warrant, the suspect fired upon Officers from inside the residence. A detective was wounded and trapped on the front porch. Officers returned gunfire and quickly developed a rescue plan to retrieve the wounded detective. Under continuous gunfire from the residence, another officer on scene crawled from his position of cover to the porch while Captain Eldridge returned gunfire at the suspect. Captain Eldridge saw that the wounded detective was caught on a fence as the other officer was trying to drag him out to safety. Captain Eldridge, at great risk to himself, left his position of cover, moved forward into the open, and exposed himself to the suspect’s gunfire. While he continued to fire his weapon at the suspect, Captain Eldridge helped free the wounded detective, and with the other officer pulled the detective to a safe position. Meanwhile, Chief Tolmie was in a position of cover behind a vehicle parked directly in front of the suspect’s residence, when he heard a Deputy call for a bandoleer of shotgun ammunition from within a patrol car. Knowing that the Deputy was at risk, Chief Tolmie left his position of cover and moved through the open area, directly exposing himself to gunfire. Chief Tolmie retrieved the bandoleer and a shotgun lying on the ground and delivered them to the Deputy, putting himself at great personal risk to help a fellow officer. The State of California takes great pride in presenting to Chief Craig Tolmie and Captain Ron Eldridge, these Gold Medals of Valor for their extraordinary acts of heroism extending far above and beyond the normal call of duty or service.