Del Mar Employee Honored for Heroic Action
Nov 22, 2014 15:16:10 GMT -5
Post by Evelyn on Nov 22, 2014 15:16:10 GMT -5
This is a nice story. And kudos to Del Mar for giving him the London trip to see his soccer team!
Del Mar Employee Honored for Heroic Action
Bloodhorse
Longtime Del Mar employee David Martinez, who rescued a boy from a burning trailer this summer, will be honored by the California Emergency Medical Services Authority at the group's annual awards banquet Dec. 3 in San Francisco.
The 63-year-old Martinez, who has worked for the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club for the past 38 years, will receive the annual "Civilian Award" from the EMS organization.
The award, given by the 80,000-member association to a civilian "who provides extraordinary service during the course of an EMS emergency," is awarded to only one non-EMS provider in the state of California each year.
Martinez, currently Del Mar's foreman of laborers, saved the life of a 7-year-old boy by pulling him out of a burning trailer just seconds before it was engulfed in flames.
His courageous actions took place Aug. 6 at 5:30 a.m. in the RV park located on the southwest portion of the Del Mar Fairgrounds. The boy he rescued was Aleksei Avila, the son of exercise rider Manny Avila.
By Martinez's own account, the flames in the trailer were no more than six inches above the head of the boy who was curled up in a fetal position. Despite his courageous deed, Martinez—a father and a grandfather—refused to consider himself a hero.
"For a couple of minutes, that little boy was mine, like one of my kids or grandkids," he was quoted as saying afterwards. "I'm really not a hero. I didn't do anything that any other person up here wouldn't have done. I was just a guy in the right place at the right time."
While Martinez refused to call himself a hero, many others did. His rescue was a local news story of note and so impressed the EMS personnel at the City of Del Mar's Fire Station—located on the Del Mar Fairgrounds—that they nominated him for the award.
"David, most assuredly, is our hero," said Joe Harper, DMTC president and CEO. "He's been our rock solid guy around here forever. Now everyone else knows it, too."
Martinez will be joined by several others from the DMTC at the EMS banquet at Marines' Memorial Hotel. Additionally, next spring—in a salute and a thank you from DMTC—he and his wife of 40 years, Liz, will head off to London on an all-expenses paid trip to watch a pair of Premier League soccer matches involving his favorite team, Manchester United.
Del Mar Employee Honored for Heroic Action
Bloodhorse
Longtime Del Mar employee David Martinez, who rescued a boy from a burning trailer this summer, will be honored by the California Emergency Medical Services Authority at the group's annual awards banquet Dec. 3 in San Francisco.
The 63-year-old Martinez, who has worked for the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club for the past 38 years, will receive the annual "Civilian Award" from the EMS organization.
The award, given by the 80,000-member association to a civilian "who provides extraordinary service during the course of an EMS emergency," is awarded to only one non-EMS provider in the state of California each year.
Martinez, currently Del Mar's foreman of laborers, saved the life of a 7-year-old boy by pulling him out of a burning trailer just seconds before it was engulfed in flames.
His courageous actions took place Aug. 6 at 5:30 a.m. in the RV park located on the southwest portion of the Del Mar Fairgrounds. The boy he rescued was Aleksei Avila, the son of exercise rider Manny Avila.
By Martinez's own account, the flames in the trailer were no more than six inches above the head of the boy who was curled up in a fetal position. Despite his courageous deed, Martinez—a father and a grandfather—refused to consider himself a hero.
"For a couple of minutes, that little boy was mine, like one of my kids or grandkids," he was quoted as saying afterwards. "I'm really not a hero. I didn't do anything that any other person up here wouldn't have done. I was just a guy in the right place at the right time."
While Martinez refused to call himself a hero, many others did. His rescue was a local news story of note and so impressed the EMS personnel at the City of Del Mar's Fire Station—located on the Del Mar Fairgrounds—that they nominated him for the award.
"David, most assuredly, is our hero," said Joe Harper, DMTC president and CEO. "He's been our rock solid guy around here forever. Now everyone else knows it, too."
Martinez will be joined by several others from the DMTC at the EMS banquet at Marines' Memorial Hotel. Additionally, next spring—in a salute and a thank you from DMTC—he and his wife of 40 years, Liz, will head off to London on an all-expenses paid trip to watch a pair of Premier League soccer matches involving his favorite team, Manchester United.