Safety Heroes

Frank Becerra – Frank Becerra volunteers in his community through his neighborhood watch and as a volunteer in search and rescue. He is a great example of a Safety Hero in our community.

Emma Bonin – Emma has spent 19 years volunteering her time at the Hesperia Police Station as a proud member of the Equestrians on Patrol program. Emma teaches the children how to recognize dangerous situations and helps them raise their awareness about strangers. Emma also educates children on how and when to use 911, the importance of looking both ways when crossing the street and stranger danger.

Ray Cancel – Ray Cancel is a city of Fontana Community Emergency Response Team Instructor who has trained and mentored over 280 CERT students and participants and has been on several city call outs. In addition, he volunteers for the Police Department’s Explorer Program, and is a part of the Emergency Communication Services team for the City of Fontana Police Department.

Yomar Cleary – Yomar has been the Secretary of the Mountain Mutual Aid group in Big Bear Lake nearly 20 years. She maintains a master list of the emergency personnel in the valley area with all of the resources we have available in the event of a disaster.

Jeff Carter – Jeff is the lead for the Muscupiabe Neighborhood Association Disaster Preparedness Team and coordinates a local emergency response with other CERT trained neighbors.

Gil Diaz – Gil initially received CERT training back in 2013 and took a leadership role in 2014. He has completed the FEMA CERT Train-the-Trainer and program Manager Courses, Listos Train-the-Trainer and multiple Emergency Management Courses. He has been instrumental in assisting other CERT teams with their programs.

Darren Espiritu – Darren founded a community group called Above the 210 to provide a one-stop informational resource for North San Bernardino residents. He shares up to the minute local agency news updates, forest fire and wea1her information, and critical public safety news.

Alyssa Farrell – Alyssa Farrell, a member of Girl Scout Troop 10154 of Chino, saved the life of her friend by performing the Heimlich maneuver at a church retreat In October of 2018.

Ruben Favela – Ruben Favela helped save the life of Deputy Rachel Varela when a suspect pulled a gun on her at a gas station. He physically fought the suspect with Deputy Varela until the suspect could be apprehended.

Harry Hatch – Mr. Hatch is a retired sheriffs’ detective who stays busy as active member of the North End Neighborhood Association (NENA) in San Bernardino and has prepared fireworks presentations about the dangers of fireworks to several organizations.

Irma Herrera – Irma is a volunteer with the San Bernardino County Area Office of Emergency Services as well as the city of Fontana’s CERT Team. She oversees the Listos program, a public education program on preparedness designed to reach the Spanish-speaking community.

David Hobbs – For the last 10 years Mr. Hobbs has been dedicated to serving the communities of Green Valley Lake, Running Springs, Crest Line and his home town of Lake Arrowhead as the coordinator and director of what is now known as Mountain Cert spending countless hours each month planning training sessions and meetings to ensure the Mountain CERT members are prepared for any type of emergency or disaster that may occur on the west end of the mountain top.

Brayden Juarez, “Super Hero B” – Super Hero B cleans up the streels of Yucaipa by picking up trash, teaching others how to cross crosswalks, and several other good deeds. He energetically volunteered to be a leader for youth. He co-creates informational videos to show children the differences between what is right from wrong.

Sergeant Maxim Krymov, Sergeant Kenneth Mullins, Lance Corporal Joseph Rasdal and Corporal Manuel Ruiz – After a full day of military duty at Marine Corps Logistics Base in Barstow these men drive to Apple Valley to instruct at-risk teenagers in physical training, military formation and marching in the SHOCK program. The majority of these students have a history of disrespect towards any type of authority to include their parents. These men volunteer numerous hours to the SHOCK program, serving as role models and positive influences in the lives of the many students who attend. Upon completion of the program the students’ behavior significantly improves at school and at home.

Colleen Kuhn – Colleen Kuhn has devoted her life to public safety. She started working as a paramedic for Valley Ambulance out of Victorville then later worked in the fire service in the 1980s for Barstow Fire District. She is currently retired from the Sheriff’s Department but loves to help her community and now serves on the Apple Valley Fire Board.

Oscar Limon – Oscar Limon is one of the primary Instructors for the Fontana CERT Program and has been since 2013, where he has been instrumental certifying over 200 participants into the organization

Colton Nordella – While surfing 10-year-old Colton helped a man in his 50s who was having trouble staying above water. Colton told the man to calm down, and with the leash of his surfboard still attached to his ankle, he helped get the man onto his surfboard. Colton continued talking to the man and they began swimming to shore where a lifeguard stepped in and told Colton he had done a good save.

Kelly Palmer – Kelly Palmer, a County employee in the Fuels & Security Department, a black belt In Tang Soo Do, and former USAF airplane mechanic, has always been one to lend a hand to those in need, encourages people to embrace better, safer practices in their work and personal lives. He was an integral part of the support team for the IRC terror incident response and investigation.

Thomas Pambianco – Thomas Pambianco volunteers as the Training Coordinator of the Sun City Apple Valley Emergency Planning Council. He revised the community’s Emergency Response Plan, relying on CERT and HAM radio operators to respond during an emergency. On a regular basis he provides community wide training for our residents as well as specific training for CERT members and HAM radio operators.

Thom Reeder – Thom volunteers with the CERT team and helps with the training classes. He has adopted a trail and keeps it clean. He also volunteers for the Yucaipa Conservancy group. And he donates blood every other week.

Jassmyn Sanchez – Jassmyn Sanchez developed the Lady Be Aware Safety Course designed for women who want to develop the necessary attitude, skills, and knowledge to help prevent from becoming a victim. Since inception, the course has been presented more than 145 times with each class filled to capacity with 40 participants. In total, over 5,900 citizens of the county have been trained through Lady Be Aware.

Jenny Smith – Jenny works is in charge of Yucaipa police social media and has it to a new level with her posts, promoting safety, which are both educational and entertaining. The YPD Facebook has increased followers from about 1,700 followers In April 2018 to over 6,500 in 2019. This dramatically broadened the agency’s reach and has helped develop leads that have solved several serious crimes.

Navaeh Telles – 9-year-old Navaeh Telles was alone with her mother, Jennifer, when her mom suffered a medical emergency and fell to the ground unconscious and not breathing. Naveah called 911 and provided a dispatcher with her address and information about her mother’s condition. Paramedics arrived, and her mom made a full recovery.

The Way World Outreach Church – The Way World Outreach Church and staff strive to help those in need through various programs and outreach. TWWO consistently teaches and stresses all elements of public safety, from Neighborhood Watch to fire safety, from helping the homeless better their lives to helping many recover from drug and alcohol addiction. TWWO is a dedicated community partner in fighting crime and making our communities fire safe.

Michael Thielen – Michael Thielen is the administrator of the Facebook page Pain In the Pass. This group has over 60,000 members. Michael encourages safe commuting and advises people ahead of time and in real time of transportation-related safety hazards.

Lynne Wear -Lynne Wear is President of the Muscupiabe Homeowners Association. She is always looking for ways to better the neighborhood. From neighborhood clean ups to trying to make everyone feel like they have a neighborhood they can be proud of.

Douglas Williams – Douglas Williams started an online watch group called Wildwood Watchers and keeps all the neighbors up-to-date on suspicious activities, as well as water main breaks on our street, and fire information, including weather conditions.

Breanna York – Breanna York, principal of Davidson Elementary School in San Bernardino, is part of a collaborative group of concerned community members who nave recently launched a grassroots neighborhood initiative to assess pedestrian safety, Safe Routes to School, overall neighborhood traffic safety, and improved walkability. This team is made up of the Breanna York, school staff, parents, neighbors, Blair Park and Muscupiabe Neighborhood Associations, School District PD, the District Emergency/Safety Officer, and the County Public Health Safe Routes to School Coordinator.