Heroic San Juan Capistrano Deputies Honored for Saving Lives and Risking their Own

Three San Juan Capistrano women are alive today thanks to the life-saving heroics of Orange County Sheriff’s deputies. 2015 was a year of extraordinary heroism in the city, and six deputies were honored at a Medal of Valor ceremony Thursday for saving lives and risking their own to protect the community.

Sgt. Brian Sims was awarded the Medal of Courage and the Purple Heart for risking his life, suffering severe burns and permanent lung damage, to give a mother and her babies trapped in a burning building a fighting chance.

Deputy Gil Dorado earned the Medal of Courage for running into a burning building, saving the life of a woman who had gone back inside to find her cats.

Deputies Gil Dorado, Nick Stiefken, Juan Lopez and Kevin Taylor were awarded Lifesaving Medals for saving two women who had stopped breathing.

The department honored each for their selflessness, bravery and determination. Here are theirs stories courtesy of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department:

Deputies Gil Dorado and Nick Stiefken Conducted CPR on a 66-Year-Old Drowning Victim

On Thursday, February 19, 2015, San Juan Capistrano Deputy Nick Stiefken, along with Deputy Leith Chacon and his trainee Deputy Gil Dorado, responded to a call of an unresponsive woman floating face down in a hot tub. Deputies Ronni McKendry, Chandler Pierce and Juan Lopez also responded. The 911 caller was the woman’s 6-year-old granddaughter and she was unable to communicate the fact the hot tub was not at their residence but was actually the gated community’s pool and spa. Despite the confusion, the Deputies found the 66-year-old victim almost immediately after arriving on scene when Deputy

Dorado observed the woman floating in the hot tub behind the fence surrounding the recreational pool.

The Deputies removed the 66-year-old grandmother from the spa and Deputy Stiefken quickly assessed the woman’s condition. He was unable to obtain a pulse and determined the woman was not breathing. Deputies Stiefken and Dorado immediately began Cardiopulmonary

Resuscitation (CPR) with Nick administering chest compressions and Gil conducting rescue breathing. While Deputy Chacon supervised his trainee, Deputies McKendry, Lopez and Pierce contacted family members, security personnel and helped maintain calm as the chaotic scene attracted more and more attention.

Deputies Stiefken and Dorado continued CPR for several minutes while waiting for fire personnel to arrive. After paramedics arrived and began setting up advanced emergency equipment, the Deputies continued CPR for several additional cycles until relieved by the paramedics. Fire Department personnel determined the woman had regained a pulse and transported her to the hospital for further medical care. Although the woman was in critical condition, she ultimately survived her near death experience.

Without the granddaughter wisely and quickly contacting 911, the grandmother would have drowned after passing out in the hot tub. Additionally, the woman’s life was saved due to the quick response and effective and determined lifesaving efforts of Deputy Nick Stiefken and Deputy Gil Dorado.

Deputy Gil Dorado Enters Burning Building to Assist Woman Saving Cats

During the early morning hours of Wednesday, July 22, 2015, Deputy Gil Dorado had just started working a patrol shift in the City of San Juan Capistrano when he was dispatched to a residential fire. He responded quickly with his patrol vehicle’s emergency lights and sirens on and arrived in just four minutes. When he arrived at the duplex, he saw a large plume of thick, black smoke coming from the attached garage where a vehicle fire had spread to the building. He quickly ran around the multiple-dwelling building, knocking on doors and warning people to get out. As he returned to the area of the garage, he saw a man standing nearby. He approached the man to check on his condition and the man told him his wife was still inside the unit whose garage was burning.

Gil immediately ran to the side patio and entered the home through the kitchen. The dense smoke allowed for no visibility so Gil began yelling, “Sheriff’s Department!” A woman responded from the back of the house so Gil quickly ran toward her through the intensifying blackness. Gil found the woman as she was coming out of her bedroom and she told him she ran back into the house to find her two cats. Gil grabbed the woman by the arm and led her outside to safety. By this time, the fire had spread outside and flames began to cover the exterior of the garage. Gil resumed knocking on the doors of nearby residents to wake them up and get them out in case the fire spread to the next duplex. A neighbor said an elderly couple lived in the other half of the burning duplex and she believed they were still inside. Gil attempted to kick open the front door but could not break it down.

Because the south side of the building was completely engulfed in flames, Gil ran around to the north side patio. Unfortunately, access to the patio was blocked. He returned to the front of the residence, broke open a window and began yelling several times for anyone inside. He received no response.

Despite the black smoke pouring out from the open window, Gil attempted to climb inside. As he struggled to step through the window, the smoke became too thick and Gil retreated into the fresh air. Fortunately, Orange County Fire Authority firefighters arrived as Gil was stepping back. He told them the residents were possibly still inside. Utilizing their equipment, the firefighters gained access to the house and escorted the elderly couple outside.

OCFA was able to put out the fire with no loss of life.

Deputy Gil Dorado showed great courage and tenacity.

Deputies Juan Lopez and Kevin Taylor Save Unresponsive 54-Year-Old Woman

On Saturday, June 20, 2015, just after midnight, Sheriff’s Dispatch received a 911 call from a frantic husband in the City of San Juan Capistrano regarding his unresponsive wife. The man told the call taker he had just returned from a trip to the bathroom when he discovered his wife had fallen out of bed and was lying on the floor and was not breathing. He added that she has been suffering from high blood pressure, arthritis in her back and knees, and had recently been ill with an infection in her throat. Dispatch sent an emergency radio call out to Deputies Juan Lopez and Kevin Taylor. They responded immediately and arrived on scene within two minutes.

The Deputies quickly went into action after finding the woman on the floor between the bed and bedroom wall. They moved her to an open area and conducted an initial assessment.

After they determined the victim had no pulse and was not breathing, they began to administer Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR). Juan and Kevin continued CPR for nearly five minutes without stopping before Orange County Fire Authority personnel arrived.

OCFA paramedics directed Juan and Kevin to continue chest compressions and rescue breathing while they prepared their equipment. The Deputies conducted approximately five more cycles of CPR before paramedics determined the victim had regained a weak pulse. The woman was quickly transported to the hospital for further treatment.

The quick response and effective and tenacious actions of Deputy Juan Lopez and Deputy Kevin Taylor restored the pulse and breathing of the 54-year-old victim and ultimately saved her life.

Sgt. Brian Sims Suffers Severe Lung Injury Attempting to Rescue Three People from Burning Building

It was mid-morning on January 20, 2015, in the City of San Juan Capistrano when Dispatch advised all patrol units a condominium was fully engulfed in flames and residents were trying to escape through an upstairs window. Sergeant Brian Sims, Deputies Ronni McKendry and George Miller, as well as Community Services Officer (CSO) Terry Lutton responded to the scene. Sergeant Sims was driving on Camino Capistrano, adjacent to the condo complex and reported he could see an older woman lowering children from the upstairs window. She then jumped out of the window and landed in the alley.

As the Sheriff’s Department personnel arrived on scene, a distraught man said there was still an infant, a three-year-old child and their mother inside the burning building. While Deputies McKendry and Miller began evacuating residents from the adjoining condos, Brian ran alongside the burning building and up the outside staircase to the second floor to see if it was possible to rescue the people trapped inside. As he got to the top of the landing and outdoor patio, a man was desperately using a garden hose to spray water on the front and patio doors in a futile attempt to reduce the growing flames. Brian heard screams for help coming from inside the residence when suddenly he was enveloped in a flash of smoke and heat as a backdraft flared out of the burning building. Suffering from a severe exposure to the flames, Brain was able to run back down the stairs. Ronni and George had finished evacuating the downstairs condos and were able to procure an extension ladder from a neighbor. The three of them placed the ladder below a second story window just as Orange County Fire Authority personnel arrived. Two firefighters were able to enter through the window and found the three victims where Brian said he heard the screams. The victims were taken to a nearby hospital but unfortunately succumbed to their injuries.

As a result of the backdraft, Brian suffered severe lung damage, pulmonary issues and smoke inhalation. He remained in the hospital for six days and spent seven months recovering before returning to duty. Sergeant Brian Sims displayed extraordinary courage in his attempt to enter a burning building where a deadly fire ultimately killed three people.

Although his injuries resulted in permanent lung damage, Brian was able to direct the firefighter to the victim’s location and gave them at least a chance to survive.

Photo Courtesy of the orange County Sheriff's Department