Two and a half months after he pulled a man from a burning pickup truck in Chehalis, Seattle firefighter Chris Quinlan received the Medal of Valor Monday from the Chehalis Fire Department.
The Mossyrock resident was on his way to work in Seattle on Feb. 6 when he came across a crash on I-5, then stopped and a pulled a Centralia man from a truck that was engulfed in flames. He provided medical assistance until the man was taken away by paramedics and provided information to 911 dispatchers that helped coordinate the response to the multi-vehicle incident.
“It takes an exceptional individual to stop when so many people would drive by,” said Chehalis Mayor Dennis Dawes. “We appreciate you more than you know.”
Quinlan, with a large family contingent on hand for the ceremony, deflected the praise.