Unit Chief

Department of Forestry and Fire Protection

10/22/2003

Special Act Award (Gold)

On October 22, 2003, CDF Chief Robert F. Green performed an act of heroism at risk to his own personal safety when, while aboard a flight from Las Vegas to Ontario, he restrained an unruly male passenger who had made threats that he had a bomb in his back pack and was going to detonate it. During the flight, Chief Green observed a flight attendant trying to get a passenger to calm down and remain in his seat until the plane was at flight level. The agitated passenger kept standing up, disregarding the flight attendants instructions. The situation quickly went from bad to worse when the passenger suddenly jumped out of his seat, struggled with the flight attendant and tried to open the compartment over his head. Chief Green sprang into action, came up behind the disorderly passenger and, through a series of quick, surefooted moves, succeeded in getting the man off balance and, with the help of two other passengers, managed to restrain and fully control the unruly male passenger. The flight returned to the Las Vegas Airport where the Metro Police boarded the plane and took the passenger into custody. It was during this time that one of the flight attendants informed Chief Green that the passenger, during the verbal discussion, had threated that he had a bomb in his backpack in the overhead storage area and was going to use it.