Medal of Valor: Honoring Virginia's Finest Public Servants VPSF serves as the official administrator of the Commonwealth Public Safety Medal of Valor, an honor presented annually by the Governor of Virginia to public safety officers who have displayed extreme courage in the line of duty, above and beyond the expectations of their work, having risked their own lives to save another. The honor was first established in a 2001 law signed by Governor Mark Warner. VPSF also administers the Commonwealth Public Safety Meritorious Service Medal, which is awarded to officers who display heroism in the line of duty. The 2001 law creating the Governor's Medal of Valor designated that VPSF should provide for the administrative support necessary to implement the medal-not state or local governments. This includes aiding the Governor in selecting professionals to serve on the Medal of Valor Review Board that recommends recipients to the Governor, providing for the production of the annual recognition ceremony at the state capitol, and administering the clerical duties associated with each. VPSF undertakes considerable expense to administer these important honors. To download a Medal of Valor nomination form click here. Medal of Valor Review Board Thank you for your interest in the Commonwealth Public Safety Medal of Valor and Meritorious Service Medal programs. I'm Don Hansen, Chairman of the Medal of Valor Review Board (MOVRB), a career firefighter, and Branch Chief with the Virginia Department of Fire Programs. It is a great honor for me to lead this seven person panel serving Virginia's 165,000 public safety officers and their families. The MOVRB is charged with establishing a timeline for Board actions, developing the criteria for evaluating recommendations for medals and soliciting nominations from approximately 1,400 public safety agencies in Virginia. Where required, each of these actions must be approved by the Governor prior to implementation. The MOVRB is composed of a citizen representative, career firefighter, corrections officer, deputy sheriff, police officer, volunteer fire fighter, and volunteer rescue squad member. The members of the MOVRB are: > Donald Edward Ronald Hansen, Branch Chief Operations - Virginia Department of Fire Programs. Representing Volunteer Fire Fighters, residing in Montgomery County (First Term) Chairman > Charise Thompson, Deputy Sheriff - Fairfax County (First Term) Vice Chairperson > Cynthia Garrett, Emergency Medical Technician. Representing Volunteer Rescue Squads, Residing in Madison County. (First Term) Secretary > Superintendant Peter Meletis, Prince William and Manassas Adult Detention Center, Representing Correctional Officers (First Term) > Captain Craig Worsham, Virginia State Police Richmond Headquarters. Representing Police Officers. (First Term) > Fire Investigator Kevin Newton, Virginia Beach Fire Department, Representing Career/Paid Fire Fighters. (First Term) > Mr. Matthew Geary, Partner Law firm Chucker Riebach, Representing Citizens (First Term) 2011 Award Recipients COMMONWEALTH MERITORIOUS SERVICE MEDAL DEPUTY WILLIAM R. LYONS, III Carroll County Sheriff's Office On January 9, 2010, Deputy William Lyons was working midnight shift in Carroll County when he heard a call on the scanner regarding a fire at the Briarleigh Court Apartments located in the Town of Hillsville. The apartment complex, which can house up to 40 residents, is a single story facility specifically designed for elderly occupants. As Deputy Lyons and Trooper S. Matthew Cochran of the Virginia State Police arrived on scene they observed flames from the rear of the facility. They saw several residents standing outside in their sleep wear in 10 degree weather. As they exited their vehicles they heard woman screaming for assistance from inside the burning building. Deputy Lyons, along with Trooper Cochran, went to the rear of the complex and approached a double glass door. As Trooper Cochran opened the door he felt intense heat and observed thick smoke. At this time, he continued to hear the woman screaming but he could not see her. Trooper Cochran entered the facility on his hands and knees and quickly determined his flashlight was of no use because of the zero visibility. Within seconds, Trooper Cochran had to retreat for air. Deputy Lyons entered to continue the search. Deputy Lyons entered the facility two times in an attempt to locate Mrs. Emily R. Bowman. Trooper Cochran entered the burning building three times before locating Mrs. Bowman in the hallway and leading her to safety. Once Mrs. Bowman was rescued, Deputy Lyons and Trooper Cochran searched the apartments from the exterior to determine if additional residents remained the facility. Once the exterior search was completed they entered the court yard and began forcing residents doors to alert the residents. Once this had been accomplished, they re-entered the complex and began prying open doors with crow bars. Numerous residents were alerted to the fire by the actions of Deputy Lyons and Trooper Cochran. In addition to Mrs. Bowman, another resident, who was disoriented and in his apartment, had to be assisted to safety by the Deputy and Trooper. Trooper Cochran stated that he and Deputy Lyons were committed to finding Mrs. Bowman and they were not going to stop trying until they located her. If it had not been for Deputy Lyon's immediate actions, Mrs. Bowman and other residents would not have survived this fire. Based on the foregoing, the Medal of Valor Review Board recommends that Deputy William R. Lyons, III be awarded the Commonwealth Public Safety Meritorious Service Medal for actions of conspicuous heroism in the face of great danger and at the risk of his own life, beyond the call of duty. COMMONWEALTH MEDAL OF VALOR OFFICER RICKY E. HAYES Town of Hillsville Police Department On January 9, 2010 Officer Hayes was the only officer working midnight shift in the Town of Hillsville when he received a call regarding a fire alarm at the Briarleigh Court Apartments located in the Town of Hillsville. The apartment complex is a single story facility specifically designed for elderly occupants and can house up to 40 residents. As Officer Hayes arrived on the scene he observed no smoke or fire. Once he exited his vehicle he detected an odor of smoke and retrieved his fire extinguisher and moved toward the front doors. While entering the apartment complex main entrance he observed Trooper S. Matthew Cochran and Deputy William R. Lyons driving to the rear of the facility. Officer Hayes, after entering the facility, moved through the hallway and began encountering residents as he went. He advised each resident to move to the front lobby for safety reasons. Officer Hayes eventually encountered a set of closed fire doors in the hallway. At this time he opened the doors and encountered thick smoke with zero visibility. Officer Hayes entered the smoke filled hallway on his hands and knees. At this point he yelled for any resident who might be trapped in the hallway and then began to use his hands to locate any possible residents. Officer Hayes stayed in the hallway for approximately one minute and, not locating anyone, moved back behind the fire doors. Officer Hayes returned to the lobby and instructed the residents to go to the front exterior doorway to get fresh air. He then asked the residents in the lobby to look around and determine who was missing and then to provide him with the missing resident's names and apartment numbers. Once Officer Hayes received the information he ran to each apartment to check on the resident and then returned to the front lobby to obtain the next name and apartment number. He continued to perform this task until the residents could provide no additional names. Officer Hayes encountered Trooper Cochran and Deputy Lyons in the lobby and was provided with a crow bar. The three then went door to door opening each apartment and checking for residents. Once all the apartments were checked Officer Hayes located a maintenance man and obtained a roster and checked off all the residents before they were relocated to a temporary shelter. After assisting EMS in the evacuation he went to the shelter and assisted in releasing the residents to family members. Numerous residents were alerted to the fire by the immediate actions of Officer Hayes. Undoubtedly these actions were instrumental in saving numerous lives in the burning apartment complex. Based on the foregoing, the Medal of Valor Review Board recommends that Officer Ricky E. Hayes be awarded the Commonwealth Public Safety Meritorious Service Medal for actions of conspicuous heroism in the face of great danger and at the risk of his own life, beyond the call of duty. COMMONWEALTH MEDAL OF VALOR CAPTAIN WILLIAM D. REYNOLDS AND FIREFIGHTER HOPE S. SCOTT On the morning of October 12th, 2010, at 1:50 a.m. the Virginia Beach Fire Department received several calls about a house fire at 450 Jeanie Street. The reports also advised that people were trapped in the burning structure. Virginia Beach Engine No. 7 responded and, upon arrival, observed a chaotic scene unfolding. Captain William Reynolds reported heavy fire conditions and noticed that several citizens on the second floor porch roof were attempting to rescue family members who were still inside the residence. Captain Reynolds and Firefighter Hope Scott climbed a ladder to the second floor porch roof. Captain Reynolds and Firefighter Scott were advised that an infant was still in the structure in the second floor bedroom. Realizing that time was of the essence, Captain Reynolds made the decision to enter the structure without the security of a charged hose line. Firefighter Scott entered the second floor window first, followed closely by Captain Reynolds. This tactic, known as a "Vent Enter Search" technique, involves great risk to the rescuers. Captain Reynolds was equipped with a thermal imaging camera. However, due to the high heat in the second floor bedroom, the camera experienced white out and was not useful. In an attempt to locate the infant that was still inside, Firefighter Scott and Captain Reynolds began a primary search pattern. They encountered zero visibility due the heavy buildup of thick black smoke. Firefighter Scott and Captain Reynolds crawled on their hands and knees along a 12 foot wall before Captain Reynolds finally located a second window on the right wall of the room. Captain Reynolds broke the second window out in an attempt to decrease the heat and smoke while Firefighter Scott continued the search for the infant. Furnishings and clothing throughout the bedroom further added difficulty to the search efforts. After crawling several feet ahead of Captain Reynolds, Firefighter Scott heard a faint cry and moved toward the sound. Firefighter Scott found an infant lying on a mattress on the floor on the. Firefighter Scott advised Captain Reynolds that she found the child and was moving toward the window at the front of the structure. Captain Reynolds arrived at the front window ahead of Firefighter Scott, and Firefighter Scott handed the child to Captain Reynolds, who had already climbed out onto the second floor porch roof. At this time, the infant was not breathing and was unresponsive. The infant was transferred to an E.M.S. crew member who began resuscitating the infant. The infant was transported to a medical facility. Captain Reynolds and Firefighter Scott re-entered the structure and continued searching for a second victim. A third firefighter from Engine No. 7's crew began fighting the fire on the first floor in an effort to keep the fire from entrapping Captain Reynolds and Firefighter Scott on the second floor. A second engine arrived and, upon entering the structure through the front door, a 73-year-old female victim was found on the stairs leading to the second floor. The 73-year-old female suffered from smoke inhalation. She was removed from the structure and transported to a medical facility. The 73-year-old female succumbed to the smoke inhalation and died three days later. The decisive actions of Captain Reynolds and Firefighter Scott saved the life of an infant who would have perished had it not been for their brave and heroic efforts. Based on the foregoing, the Medal of Valor Review Board recommends that Captain William D Reynolds and Firefighter Hope S Scott be awarded the Commonwealth Public Safety Medal of Valor for actions of conspicuous heroism in the face of great danger and at the risk of their own lives. These individuals acted beyond the call of duty, in their steadfast devotion to the protection of human life. COMMONWEALTH MERITORIOUS SERVICE MEDAL TROOPER S. MATTHEW COCHRAN Virginia State Police On January 9, 2010, Trooper Matthew Cochran was working midnight shift in Carroll County when he heard a call on the scanner regarding a fire at the Briarleigh Court Apartments located in the Town of Hillsville. The apartment complex is a single story facility specifically designed for elderly occupants and can house up to 40 residents. When Trooper Cochran and Deputy William R. Lyons, II of the Carroll County Sheriff's Office arrived at the scene they observed flames from the rear of the facility. They saw several residents standing outside in their sleep wear in 10 degree weather. As they exited their vehicles, they heard a woman screaming for assistance from inside the burning building. Trooper Cochran, along with Deputy Lyons, approached the rear of the complex which had a double glass doors. As Trooper Cochran opened the door he felt intense heat and observed thick smoke. At this time, he continued to hear the woman screaming but was unable to see her. Trooper Cochran entered the facility on his hands and knees and quickly determined his flashlight was of no use because of the zero visibility. Within seconds, Trooper Cochran had to retreat for air. At that time, Deputy Lyons entered the building and continued the search. Trooper Cochran entered the burning complex three times before locating Mrs. Emily R. Bowman and rescuing her. Once Mrs. Bowman was rescued, Trooper Cochran and Deputy Lyons searched the entire apartments starting from the exterior area to determine if additional residents remained in the facility. Once the exterior search was completed, they entered the courtyard and began to kick in doors to alert other residents. Once this had been accomplished, they re-entered the complex from the front and began prying open doors with crow bars. Numerous residents were alerted to the fire by the actions of Trooper Cochran and Deputy Lyons. In addition to Mrs. Bowman, one additional resident who was disoriented and still in his apartment, was assisted to safety by the Trooper and Deputy. When asked, Trooper Cochran stated that he and Deputy Lyons were committed to finding Mrs. Bowman and they were not going to stop until they located and rescued her. Trooper Cochran was treated at the scene for slight smoke inhalation. Had it not been for Trooper Cochran's immediate actions, Mrs. Bowman and other residents would not have survived this fire. Based on the foregoing, the Medal of Valor Review Board recommends that Trooper S. Matthew Cochran be awarded the Commonwealth Public Safety Meritorious Service Medal for actions of conspicuous heroism, in the face of great danger and at the risk of his own life, beyond the call of duty. COMMONWEALTH MEDAL OF VALOR CAPTAIN STUART WHITEHEAD Virginia Department of Corrections Sussex I State Prison located in Waverly, Virginia, is a Level 5 maximum security prison and includes death row. Captain Whitehead is a watch commander who is responsible for the safety and security of the Sussex I facility (1,165 inmates) and manages a shift of 75 correctional staff. On July 17, 2010, an altercation broke out in one of the living areas during recreation period. Several of the inmates had sharpened instruments and were involved in stabbing other inmates. The ringleader was an inmate who has an extensive violent history within the Virginia Department of Corrections, including attempted homicide, felony injury to a corrections officer, unlawful wounding, and possession of weapons. As Captain Whitehead, other staff, and a K-9 Unit arrived, to assist with the disturbance, two inmates had been stabbed, mass amounts of blood were on the floor and inmates were still in possession of make-shift weapons. The assailant inmate and another offender ran into a cell and continued to stab a third inmate. The K-9 officer released his dog into the cell. The Inmate stabbed the dog in the neck, seriously wounding the dog. Captain Whitehead sprayed the Inmate and the other offender with O.C. (pepper) spray. The inmate remained combative and continued to make threatening comments to the staff while holding the weapon in his hand. The inmate staggered out of the cell, weapon in hand, and ran towards the shower. While in the shower, the inmate was confronted by Captain Whitehead. The inmate continued threatening to stab any staff member who approached him. He also stated "I am going to finish what I started," and refused to drop the weapon. Captain Whitehead waited for the inmate to clean his eyes of pepper spray. Finally, Captain Whitehead got close enough to the inmate and punched him once in the face, rendering him momentarily unconscious. The inmate fell onto Captain Whitehead and dropped his weapon, ending the major incident. Major Jones, Director of Security, stated that he was glad Captain Whitehead was on duty on July 17, and that he prevented serious injuries to staff and other inmates. The K-9 dogs and three inmates were sent to the hospital with stab wounds. Two of the inmates were airlifted by helicopter. Captain Whitehead, who has 16 years of experience, displayed confidence, leadership, and professionalism during an incident that caused a security threat to the safety of staff and inmates. He did not hesitate to take advantage of a few seconds while risking his life and protecting others. Based on the foregoing, the Medal of Valor Review Board recommends that Captain Stuart Whitehead be awarded the Commonwealth Public Safety Medal of Valor for actions of conspicuous heroism in the face of great danger and at the risk of his own life, beyond the call of duty.