Jumper Incident
It was just after the dinner hour when Rescue 88 was dispatched to an “Attempted Suicide” in a six-story office building in Sherman Oaks. Upon arrival, Firefighter-Paramedics Paul Schori and Fernando Vasquez quickly searched the building and were directed by a passerby to the rear of the building. They discovered a woman on the sixth floor balcony in grave emotional distress and preparing to jump.
A coordinated effort between the Los Angeles Police Department and the Firefighter/Paramedics on scene averted the woman’s suicide attempt. The unique and challenging rescue involved extreme personal risk to all members. If the extraordinary rescue measures had not been taken by the members of Rescue 88, the lives of two officers and the patient may have been lost.
Firefighter-Paramedic Vasquez stayed in a visible location and engaged in a dialogue with the patient perched on the balcony overlooking the sixth floor. Firefighter-Paramedic Vasquez knew that the Police Officers and his partner Paul Schori were making their way to the victim. Firefighter-Paramedic Vasquez kept her distracted as he yelled to her, “Don’t jump! You don’t want to hurt me. I have two kids and if you jump you will hurt me too.” In reality, Firefighter-Paramedic Vasquez has no children but his conversation allowed the rescuers from the LAPD and the LAFD time to get into place on the sixth floor.
Police Officers Mireles and Marron made their way to the balcony where they confronted the distraught woman. The woman yelled, “You can’t stop me. I want to kill myself.”
The woman weighed about 280 lbs. and the Officers struggled to keep her from rolling over the edge. Officer Mireless grabbed the woman’s leg; as he was adjusting his grip, he told his partner that he was losing her and was headed for the balcony’s edge. Officer Marron reacted without hesitation and dove on both the falling woman and his fellow officer. Now all three were inches away from a six-story fall which would have killed them all. Now all three were dangling over the edge.
Upon hearing the commotion, Firefighter-Paramedic Schori opened another door to the balcony and seeing what lay before his eyes sprang into meritorious action. Without hesitation, Schori reached over and grabbed Officer Mireles by his belt. With Herculean strength, witnesses stated that Firefighter-Paramedic Schori pulled the Officers and the still struggling woman back onto the balcony.
Firefighter-Paramedic Paul Schori, placed himself at great personal risk and saved the lives of two people, perhaps three. It is with great pride that he is awarded the Medal of Valor.
For his displayed calm professionalism, quick thinking and skill in communication with a severely disturbed woman, Firefighter-Paramedic Vasquez was able to distract and delay the woman from leaping to her death until help reached her. For his performance during this emergency, Firefighter-Paramedic Fernando Vasquez is presented a Letter of Special Commendation.