COUNTYWIDE : Local CHP Officer Gets Medal of Valor

An Orange County California Highway Patrol officer who pulled a Seal Beach police officer from a burning squad car has been awarded the Medal of Valor, California’s highest honor for its employees.

Officer Michael Bernardin, assigned to the CHP’s Westminster office, was one of six CHP officers given the award in a Sacramento ceremony on Friday, CHP spokesman Sam Haynes said.

The other recipients are state traffic officers Robert Welch, assigned to the Fresno area; Jeffrey Jones, the Indio area; Matthew Causie, the Ventura area; Javier Rocha, the San Francisco area; and John Meaders, the Verdugo Hills area.

The Medal of Valor is given for an extraordinary act of heroism by a state employee, undertaken at great risk in an effort to save human life.

Since the medal was first awarded, in 1959, it has gone to 67 members of the California Highway Patrol, including those honored today.

Bernardin earned the honor for bravery during an Aug. 23, 1988, traffic accident involving an unidentified Seal Beach police officer.

When Bernardin arrived at the scene, he found the unconscious officer trapped inside his burning squad car. Bernardin tried to douse the flames with a fire extinguisher but, after that attempt, he enlisted the help of two citizens to try to pull the victim out of the burning vehicle.

Despite the screams of witnesses trying to warn him stay away from the intense heat, Bernardin cut the seat belt loose and dragged the officer to safety.

About 20 seconds later, the police car was engulfed in flames.

The Seal Beach officer later died from massive head injuries. Bernardin suffered minor smoke inhalation, but had no lasting injuries.