Fire Capt. Wes Grim will travel to Sacramento Dec. 9 to receive the Medal of Valor from Gov. Arnold Schwarzeneggar for his efforts to rescue an infant during a home fire last year.

But if you ask Grim, there was a full house of heroes at that fire who should each be recognized for their contributions.

ìItís a huge honor to receive the award, but I donít know if I deserve it,î Grim said.

The fire started at about 9 a.m. May 31, 2007 in a single-story home at 301 S. Orange Ave. in Exeter. Grim said when the Exeter Fire Department arrived on scene, police officers already there were the first to inform firefighters that there was someone still in the home.

ìThere was no mention of anyone trapped inside the home from dispatch,î Grim said. ìThe first time the fire department had heard of anybody inside is when we pulled up to the house.î

According to other firefighters on the scene, Grim ran to the bedroom window where the baby boy was on the bed. Despite flames firing out of the window and intense 1,000-degree heat, Grim jumped through the window to rescue the child. Once inside, Grim began crawling along the ground under a blanket of black smoke beneath a sky of fire.

ìI couldnít see past my hands,î Grim said. ìI just felt around until I found the bed and then I felt the baby on the bed. It was only about 10 feet but it seemed a lot farther.î

Within minutes, firefighters on the outside saw two firemanís gloves holding an infant emerge through the smoke and place the baby into the arms of Officer David Diaz. Then came Grim sliding out of the window. His fire-resistant helmet melted and fire coat smoldering.

Unfortunately, 11-month-old Jonathan Gomez did not survive, one day shy of his first bithday.

ìI read what they wrote about me in the nomination letter,î Grim said. ìIíd like to meet that guy, he sounded like Superman the way they described it. We donít count it as a victory if the person doesnít survive. But there was a lot of people who gave their best effort to save that child.î

Grim said the first person to notice the fire was Russ Carr, who was teaching part time nearby at Wilson Middle School. Carr, now a teacher at Rocky Hill, tried to slow the flames with a garden hose at the home. Once the fire department arrived, one of the cityís public works employees, Santos Gonzalez, even grabbed the fire hose to help aim it at the fire until more firefighters could arrive. Exeter Police Officers David Diaz and Scott Jones were the first to attempt to enter the home through the same window as Grim, but without any fire protective gear were unable to stay. Both officers suffered smoke inhalation and one had to be transported to Kaweah Delta Hospital in Visalia after almost passing out at the scene.

ìIf they had stayed in we would have had three bodies to pull out of that fire,î Grim said. ìThere was no way they could have saved that baby and themselves.î

Fire investigators revealed that the cause of the fire was a candle that was left burning on a porch that had been converted into an enclosed room. The investigation revealed that the candles were being used for light as the home had no electricity or gas hooked up. The mother, Esbeyde Calvillo, 20, and her 2-year-old son Alonzo Gomez, Jr. were able to make it out in time, but Calvillo did not take her child before exiting the house.

ìThe sad thing is that the same house had a fire a week before and mother refused a smoke detector, a free program we offer at the fire department,î Grim said. ìOne little device could have saved that childís life.î

Grim transferred from the Exeter Fire Station to the CalFire Station in Woodlake after Tulare County took over its fire stations after ending its 80-year labor contract with the state in July 2007. Grim was Exeterís fire captain for eight years.

ìThat was the only fatality during my time in Exeter, but it was not the first fatality in my career,î said Grim, who began his 26th year in the fire service in March. ìBut when it is a child itís always harder.î

Grim is one of seven firefighters to receive the Medal of Valor this year. The award is given to individuals who have performed an extraordinary act of heroism above and beyond the call of duty to save a life or risk their own life to save someone. The awards will be presented at 2 p.m. Dec. 11 at the Crest Theater in Sacramento. Firefighters and their families are also invited to the Governorís Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony at the Capitol.

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