ALAMOSA – The rescue of a man from a burning home on Bell Avenue in February has earned a San Luis Valley fire fighting unit the Directors Award from the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control (DFPC).
Eight members of the SLV Region of DFPC were honored Wednesday night at the quarterly awards and badging ceremony held at the Pueblo Convention Center. Based in Alamosa but responding to fire and rescue incidents across the valley, members honored include Deputy Section Chief Paul Duarte, Battalion Chief Matt Nolting, Deputy District Chief Devin Haynie, Captains Zach Cerny and Cody Sullivan, and firefighters Matt Page, Daniel Macias and Landon Tolsma.
According to a report in the Valley Courier, “A man believed to be in his mid-60s was rescued from a burning home at 1214 Bell Avenue around 11:30 a.m. on Feb. 9, 2024.”
The day of the fire, Captain Cerny said the fire was believed to have been accidentally started and the home suffered severe damage and was not livable.
Vaughn Jones, Section Chief of Wildfire Management for DFPC, honored the local firefighters at Wednesday’s ceremony attended by agency personnel and their families from across the state.
“On Feb. 9, 2024, the Alamosa Fire Department was dispatched to a structure fire with a trapped victim in Alamosa,” Jones said. “Due to an automatic aid agreement between the two agencies (AFD-DFPC), both Type 3 engines (DFPC) responded for assistance.
“Captain Zach Cerny immediately initiated Incident Command and began the process of scene size up and tactical deployment.”
Jones report continued that Captain Sullivan and firefighters Page, Tolsma and Macias forced entry into the fully involved structure and began suppression operations and a primary search for the victim. The victim was removed from the structure and transferred to Alamosa EMS for transport and care.
“The actions of the five members of this crew showed remarkable professionalism, courage and reflects on their dedication to serving the citizens of the State of Colorado,” Jones said. “They made a difference in the outcome of this incident and the life of the entrapped victim as they had completed the above tasks before any apparatus of the Alamosa Fire Department was on scene.
“I cannot relay to the full extent of how proud I am of the work that they did that day.”
During Wednesday’s DFPC badging ceremony, firefighter Ben Herrera of Alamosa was among more than a dozen firefighters and civilians honored. Herrera received his badge from his young son, Dak.
