Medal of Valor Recipients

The Award
This medal is the highest award presented by our department and is only awarded under the most extraordinary circumstances. The Fire Department established the Medal of Valor Award in December of 1986.

Criterion for Awarding the Medal of Valor
The employee distinguishes him or herself conspicuously by displaying great courage while placing him or herself in the face of immediate life-threatening peril, with full knowledge of the risks involved, attempting to save or having saved the life of another person or persons.

Recipients:

Fire Captain Paul Goodwin

In May of 1995, Monterey Fire Captain Paul Goodwin (pictured at right, left) went into a burning house, and rescued a woman inside, carrying her to safety seconds before the house flashed over, engulfing the entire house in flames.

The fire occurred at about 9:30 p.m. the night of May 29, 1995, in a residence at 815 Filmore Street in Monterey. Clothing that had been placed too close to the fireplace ignited, and started the fire.

Captain Goodwin and his crew arrived and requested additional units to be dispatched to the scene. Goodwin learned that a woman was still inside the house, entered the burning house, without a hose line. Inside he found the woman and took her out to a safe area. Fire fighters on the scene said that if Captain Goodwin had waited for a hose line to be charged, the woman would have perished in the fire.

Captain Goodwin, age 43, joined the fire department in 1979.

Chief Jack Meade (pictured above, right) presented Captain Paul Goodwin with the first Medal of Valor Award since it was authorized ten years earlier. The presentation was made before the City Council. Although there have been several nominations, this was the first nomination that met the criterion for award.

Fire Fighter Chris Smith

On the afternoon of April 12, 1998, the Monterey Fire Department responded to a report of a burning vehicle on Figueroa Street near Webster Street in Monterey. While responding the crew received information from on-scene police officer that there was a possibility that someone may be trapped inside the old model van.

Upon arrival, fire crews found heavy smoke coming from a roof vent of the van, and noted that all the doors were locked. A window in the driver's side door was broken out allowing the door to be opened. At this time, Fire fighter Chris Smith (pictured above, left), who responded along with Captain Chris Miller and Acting Engineer Graham Fenwick saw what appeared to be a body lying in the back of the van and immediately crawled into the burning vehicle to attempt a rescue. The person was unconscious, and as Smith tried to open the side door to get out of the van, he found it locked. Rather than crawling back out, Smith remained on the floor of the van with the victim; waiting for the crew to force the doors open from the outside and extinguish the fire.

Fire fighters outside the van were finally able to force open the side doors of the van, and as the fire exploded with a fresh supply of oxygen, Chris pulled the unconscious man to safety.

Fire Fighter Smith was nominated by Captain Chris Miller to receive the Medal of Valor. An investigation into the incident and a review of Smith's actions confirmed that the Award was merited.

Chief Jack Meade (pictured above, right) presented Fire Fighter Chris Smith with the Medal of Valor Award on May 19, 1998 before the City Council and members of the fire department.

Fire Fighter Smith, a 22-year veteran, joined the fire department in 1976 and expressed his appreciation to the City Council. He stated, "the job gives me and my co-workers the opportunity to feel like heroes - not only in emergencies, but also when giving safety presentations at the elementary schools or when teaching cardio-pulmonary resuscitation and Neighborhood Emergency Response Training to adults. That's when I feel like a hero."

Fire Captain Raymond LaFontaine

Captain LaFontaine began his career March 1, 1973 and was promoted to the rank of Fire Captain in 1981.  He was presented with the Department's Medal of Valor for his actions on April 19, 2002. 

On the afternoon of April 19^th, 2002, the communities of the City of Monterey, Seaside and Del Rey Oaks experienced a tragic event beyond the imaginable. For all of us in public service, this event left feelings of sadness, frustration, anger and even helplessness. It reminded us of how precious life is and how quickly it can be taken.

On that dreadful afternoon of April 19^th, with the support of many other rescuers, Captain Raymond LaFontaine was able to initiate a life saving effort that was unprecedented in this Department’s history.

Captain Raymond LaFontaine, Engineer Hal McKay and Firefighter Buzz Cole, aboard Monterey Engine 6413, were dispatched to a dog bite in the Ryan Ranch area. Upon arrival, Engine Company 6413 was directed to the back of the complex around a chain link fence. After briefing the crew, Captain LaFontaine did what some witnesses said "was the most heroic thing they had ever seen". Captain LaFontaine exited the vehicle and ran 100 yards down to where a seriously injured little girl was being held by her grandmother. Without any hesitation or concern for his own safety, he scooped the child from her grandmother and began moving at a fast pace back to the engine. What is so significant about this is he did this with the unleashed dogs circling him "in an attack mode".

Having met his crew on the way up, he took action and told his crew that it was unsafe to work here and that they needed to return to the engine. With the dogs still circling, other members of the crew and Del Rey Oaks Police Department assisted with helping to keep the dogs away.

Captain LaFontaine placed the child’s body on the gurney and at this point, in order to protect other rescue workers and family members at the scene, Captain LaFontaine got between the family members, dogs and rescue workers so as to keep the dogs from hurting anyone else.

"Throughout this whole call Captain LaFontaine was a man of distinguished valor. His concern for the child, rescue personnel and the child’s family was put above his own safety."

It is a great honor to be presenting this Medal of Valor Award to Captain Raymond LaFontaine, for he is truly deserving of it and therefore is recognized for his heroic actions during the tragic events of April 19^th, 2002.

Fire Captain Raymond LaFontaine was nominated by Engineer Hal McKay and FF Buzz Cole, support documentation was given by Monterey Police Department, Del Rey Oaks Police Department, Monterey Animal Control Officer and Rescue personnel.