Moses Lake firefighters awarded for heroism

Risked their lives to save another

MOSES LAKE — No one could have foreseen the heroism taking place Feb. 27, 2006.

Two firefighters were awarded the Medal of Valor Friday night for risking their lives in the line of duty. Only one other firefighter was given the award in the history of the department.

"We didn't think we'd see this often," Chief Deputy Corbin Moberg said during the Friday night award banquet.

Firefighters Paul Guerin and Captain Phil Walker received the award for their attempt to save a man who fell through the ice at Diamond Point in the Cascade Valley area.

The pair quickly realized the rescue mission could not be done safely because the victim was out of reach, Moberg said. They went anyway.

The ice was not stable enough to lift themselves and the victim out of the water. The rope broke through the ice several times, he said. There were many times when the two men were pulled under the ice.

"This is the closest I've ever been on a call, to nearly see two guys die," he said. "They took every risk possible."

After nearly 48 minutes of being in the below-freezing water, they refused to abandon the victim.

"These aren't things you see a lot," Fire Chief Tom Taylor said. "It's an uncommon devotion."

If someone asks Guerin or Walker what it was like, they will tell you they were just doing their job.