Red Cross honors heroes for generosity

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Jun 15, 2007 | by Mark AbramsonSTAFF

A man who risked his life to drag someone out of a burning house, a 10-year-old who called 9-1-1 to save her badly injured mother and a teen who helped pull a woman out of a car that plunged into the Bay were among local heroes recognized Thursday by the Red Cross.

American Red Cross Bay Area Chapter officials and leaders from throughout San Mateo County acknowledged various acts of courage during the third annual Heroes Breakfast in San Mateo. Ten people and organizations, plus a police dog, received awards for their courage or generosity.

"They are great examples of doing the right thing," said former state Sen. Jackie Speier, the keynote speaker at the awards ceremony.

Mike Nunez of Redwood City received the Red Cross' Act of Courage Award for Adults for running into a burning building in May 2006 and pulling a badly burned woman out of the home with the help of three Redwood City police officers. Despite the efforts to save her, the fire victim died a week later.

"I really don't feel like I'm a hero. I just did what I had to do," Nunez said.

The youngest hero was Maggie Kerwin, 10, of Burlingame, who received the Life Saving Award for youths.

Maggie stayed calm after her mother, Amy, fell 15 feet into the family's drained pool on April 1, and called 9-1-1 as her father Mike stayed with his wife. In the fall, Amy fractured her skull in four places and broke two ribs, among other injuries. "I was a mess," Mike said.

Maggie gave a 9-1-1 dispatcher the address and answered the dispatcher's questions about what happened.

"She was very calm," said Burlingame police Sgt. Jim Ford, who was one of the officers to respond to the incident.

Maggie, who learned about calling 9-1-1 in school, said, "I have always been taught to stay calm. I was really worried."

She said she did not understand all of the fanfare over the awards, but that it felt "cool" to be recognized.

Another hero, Becky Reynoso, 15, was recognized for leaping into the cold Bay on April 27 to help rescue a woman who had driven her car into the water.

"It only took a couple of minutes, but it seemed like it was taking forever," Becky said. She and San Mateo resident Lawrence Rensch pulled the woman to shore.

The other heroes who were recognized were third-grade teacher Jennifer Flores of Foster City, who revived an elderly man who collapsed while her class was on a field trip to a museum. She was pregnant at the time and is due next week.

Sunset Publishing in Menlo Park received the Act of Kindness and Philanthropy Award; Morgan, a sheriff's office bloodhound, was recognized for helping find four people in the past two years; and Phyllis Everson was honored for her volunteer work in Burlingame.

The owners and employees at Chicken! Chicken!, a Burlingame restaurant that burned down, received the Community Service Award for an Organization providing meals to the hungry.

E-mail Mark Abramson at mabramson@dailynewsgroup.com.