Officer

California Highway Patrol

7/3/2006

Special Act Award (Gold)

On July 3, 2006, at 4:52 p.m., California Highway Patrol Officer Brent Weese was on patrol and working traffic enforcement in the Kern River Canyon area on State Route 178, when he was flagged down by a citizen who reported a vehicle over the side of the canyon. He responded to the location of the vehicle and was immediately met by flames surging toward the road. As he looked over the canyon, he observed two women running in a southwesterly direction away from the overturned vehicle, with a fast moving grass fire burning behind them. While making their escape, one of the females became entangled in heavy brush approximately forty feet down the canyon and was unable to free herself. Due to the intense flames between the trapped victim and himself, Officer Weese was unable to climb to her location to provide assistance. Thinking quickly, Officer Weese radioed to CHP communications and requested a nearby U.S. Forest Service fire truck respond to his location to extinguish the flames and help with a rescue. The fire truck arrived and Officer Weese directed the crew to spray a stream of suppressive water to give him a path to the victim.

With the water spraying over his head and the fire raging around him, Officer Weese made his way down the steep embankment to the woman ensnared in the brush. Exhausted and having difficulty breathing due to smoke inhalation, Officer Weese freed the entangled woman and assisted her up the canyon wall to a safe location at the road. Officer Weese’s actions during this rescue were responsible for saving the life of another.