5 Firefighters Honored for River Rescue of Trucker

Five Los Angeles firefighters were honored at City Hall on Tuesday for rescuing a man who was stranded when heavy rains trapped his truck in the swollen Los Angeles River two years ago.

The firefighters saved driver Manuel Aldana when his dump truck slipped into the river’s swirling waters near the 1st Street Bridge on March 12, 1996, said Alex Arriola, a spokesman for the Los Angeles City Fire Department.

Aldana had retreated to the hood of the engine compartment for refuge from rising water. The truck was trapped directly below power lines, but using a helicopter, the firefighters managed to pluck Aldana from harm, Arriola said.

“With great risk, these [rescue team] members skillfully maneuvered their helicopter, lowered Firefighter John Englund to capture the victim and successfully delivered him to the waiting emergency companies,” he said. “They put the safety and well-being of the citizen above the concerns for their own safety.”

Along with Englund, firefighters John Gibbs, Larry Harris, Douglas Cunningham and Howard Lewis were honored with the Award of Merit.