Officer

California Highway Patrol

8/26/2006

Special Act Award (Gold)

On August 26, 2006, California Highway Patrol (CHP) Officer Jude Donahue was on patrol when he observed a motor home partially engulfed in flames. In order to determine if the vehicle was occupied, Officer Donahue shattered one of the motor home’s windows. He was soon joined by two officers from the Los Angeles Police Department, who tried to extinguish the fire. One of the police department officers discovered a man in the rear of the vehicle. Officer Donahue went to extraordinary lengths to get through the locked rear door of the motor home. With approaching flames and smoke, Officer Donahue valiantly entered the burning motor home to rescue the man. In spite of the dense smoke and increasing heat, Officer Donahue located the man seated in the rear of the motor home and Officer Donahue made several attempts to grasp the incapacitated man, but the victim’s clothing ripped. While making the rescue attempt, Officer Donahue was overcome by the smoke and increasing heat, causing him to retreat from the motor home. Meanwhile, the police officers attempted to pull the man out the rear window of the motor home. After regaining his breath, Officer Donahue re-entered the motor home a second time in another attempt to rescue the man. He was immediately confronted by the intense flames and heat of the fire and yielded only when the heat and smoke became too much to bear. Officer Donahue received burns to his arm, ear, and head. In spite of the efforts of all officers involved, the man could not be saved, perishing in the fire.