New kiosk and Web site will immortalize their heroic deeds
Date: 12/14/2009
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger handed out Medal of Valor awards to four CSLEA members on Dec. 10, praising their "incredible, heroic acts."
This year's ceremony was the 50th anniversary commemorating state employees who "selflessly put service and sacrifice above all else." The four CSLEA members honored were among 27 recipients. They are:
- Stephen Charles Guarino of Sacramento, a CAL FIRE employee who rescued a man from a burning vehicle
- Edward Bass, Jr. of Patton, a Department of Mental Health police officer at Patton State Hospital, who stopped a distraught and armed man from killing his family and himself.
- James Northhelfer and Timothy Fellars, both state park police officers from Half Moon Bay, who rescued six victims from the ocean after their boat capsized.
"The heroic deeds of these four CSLEA members are further examples of why we are the central thread in the public safety net of California," said CSLEA President Alan Barcelona. "Whether on land or on sea, whether on duty or off, our members maintain a constant vigilance for any harm that would come to the citizens of the Golden State."
A new Medal of Valor kiosk donated by the California Association of Highway Patrolmen was unveiled at last week's ceremony. It will have information on all the award recipients since the program's inception. It will stand at the east entrance of the State Capitol. Additionally, the Department of Personnel Administration has created a new Web site with the same information as the kiosk, www.medalofvalor.ca.gov.
The governor's press release on the ceremony can be read at the link below.
[Main Page photo: Patton Police Officer Edward Bass, Jr. Below: Stephen Charles Guarino. Second photo below: James Northhelfer and Timothy Fellars.]
For more information:
http://gov.ca.gov/index.php?/press-release/14009/
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