Rescuers Get Thanks for Their Heroic Efforts

Josef Davis thought his days as a rescuer were over, but then a light plane crashed nose-first into his apartment building in the Fairfax District.

“I heard the noise, went out, and went to work ... until I passed out. I was just functioning on automatic,” said Davis, a former paramedic in Israel.

Dozens of emergency personnel and volunteers like Davis were honored Sunday at a ceremony at Pan Pacific Park for their quick responses to the June 6 accident that left five people dead, including a 76-year-old resident of the now-gutted building at 601 N. Spaulding Ave.

Davis, 49, was the first honored for his rescue efforts. He exerted himself so much that day that he ended up at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for two weeks, recovering from smoke inhalation.

It was a jovial event Sunday, with plaque-giving and free hot dogs. But in a somber moment, Los Angeles City Councilman Jack Weiss asked those attending to join him in silence to remember the victims of the plane crash and of last week’s tragedy at the Santa Monica Farmers’ Market, which left 10 people dead and dozens injured.

“The people of the Fairfax District learned a month ago what the people of Santa Monica learned last week -- that there are countless men and women who would drop anything to save a life,” Weiss said. “We honor them today for their heroism.”

Sheriff Lee Baca helped present the awards to those who were honored, including Los Angeles police officers, county and city firefighters, members of the Hatzolah volunteer emergency response team, Mayor James K. Hahn’s crisis response team and the American Red Cross.

Four people in the plane and building resident Tibor Reis were killed when a single-engine plane crashed into the 14-unit apartment building shortly after taking off from the Santa Monica airport that Friday afternoon. Several people in the building were badly burned.

Some residents who weren’t home when the plane hit attended Sunday to thank emergency and crisis personnel.

Sara Mattison was one of them. Mattison, a writer and comedian, was at a movie instead of home writing on June 6. When she left the theater, she heard what had happened through messages on her cell phone. The plane went directly through her first-level apartment, destroying everything she owned except a suitcase packed with four childhood journals.

“Truthfully, I haven’t shed a tear over it,” said Mattison, who presented an award to the Red Cross, which helped her find a temporary home and gather donated clothes and furniture. “It’s just nice to know when the rug is pulled out from under your life, someone is there to help you get back on your feet.”