City of Lakewood employee Annie Fernandez was enjoying lunch at her desk when she heard strange, muffled sounds from the adjacent office cubicle. Curious, she peeked over and was met with a distressing sight: her coworker, DeeAnna, was hunched over, clutching her neck, choking on something. While DeeAnna’s complexion rapidly turned purple, Annie called out for help, but fellow co-workers were all in another room and couldn’t hear Annie. Realizing she was DeeAnna's only hope, Annie’s first-aid training kicked in - she sprang into action by performing the Heimlich maneuver.  Annie delivered a series of abdominal thrusts and soon, DeeAnna began to cough and gasp for air. Relief washed over Annie as DeeAnna regained her footing and began to breathe normally. Annie then guided her to a chair, remaining close by to monitor her recovery.  The commotion eventually drew the attention of other staff members who rushed over and soon learned that Annie’s lifesaving measures enabled DeeAnna to breathe again.  Annie’s quick thinking and decisive action in a life-threatening moment demonstrated her courage and selflessness. In the face of crisis and uncertainty, she remained calm and acted, embodying the true spirit of a hero. Photo by Matt Beard/American Red Cross.

Altadena resident Tom Drew displayed extraordinary courage during the Eaton Fire, which claimed the life of his close friend, 72-year-old Oswald "Ossie" Altmetz.     At 4 a.m. on January 8, Ossie called Tom in a panic—his car was broken down and the house behind his was on fire. Despite the fire threatening his own home, Tom rushed to help.     

Thick smoke and flying embers filled the air as Tom arrived. A power outage left everything in darkness. He ran up the driveway, calling Ossie’s name repeatedly, but there was no response. Nearby homes and cars were burning. Fearing for his wife’s safety and assuming Ossie had escaped, Tom made the agonizing decision to leave.     

Back home, Tom and his wife scrambled to evacuate, searching for their cats and trying to douse growing flames. Despite their efforts, they lost their home, including irreplaceable keepsakes from their daughter's childhood.     

Tom and Ossie had been close friends for 15 years, bonding over sports, coffee and weekly errands. Tom’s brave attempt to save his friend, though unsuccessful, is a testament to his loyalty and selflessness. In his darkest hour, he put others first, sacrificing everything. Photo by Matt Beard/American Red Cross.

On a July evening, a routine night of tennis turned into a life-or-death situation. Phil Reed was sitting on a bench with his friend, Rob Crow, when Phill suddenly slumped onto his side and collapsed face-first onto the pavement. Rob, realizing the severity of the situation and not having access to his smartphone, immediately started yelling for someone to call "Call 911! Call 911!".  

Nearby, Debbie Truax, a retired nurse practitioner, had just left the courts and was heading to her car when she heard the calls. Recognizing Rob's voice, she ran back toward the courts, her backpack filled with tennis rackets bouncing on her back.  When Debbie arrived, she found Phil lying unresponsive, blood on his face from the fall. Without hesitation, she instructed Rob to turn him over, checked for a pulse and immediately began administering CPR. Other players gathered around as Debbie took control of the situation, directing someone to call 911.  

That night, however, the emergency response system was severely impacted by the widespread CrowdStrike computer crash, delaying paramedics. With time working against them, Debbie continued performing CPR for over ten minutes, keeping Phil’s blood circulating and speaking to him, reassuring him that he was strong and would pull through. The forceful chest compressions later resulted in multiple fractures to Phil’s sternum, a testament to the effort required to sustain his heartbeat.  

When paramedics finally arrived, Debbie quickly briefed them on Phil’s condition before they used an automated external defibrillator (AED) to restore his pulse. He was transported to St. Mary's Medical Center, where he was placed in a cooling device to preserve brain function. Days later, he underwent quadruple bypass heart surgery and against the odds, made a full recovery.  

Phil later learned just how close his brush with death had been. The survival rate for cardiac arrest outside a hospital is only 8%, with chances of recovery dropping significantly after just three minutes without medical intervention. Thanks to Debbie’s quick thinking, medical expertise and relentless efforts, he survived what could have been a fatal event.  

For her life-saving actions that night, Debbie Truax embodies the very essence of a Red Cross Hometown Hero—demonstrating courage, skill and an unwavering commitment to helping others in their most critical moments. Photo by Matt Beard/American Red Cross.

On a Sunday afternoon last October, three Santa Monica residents—Trevor Nichols, Stephanie Inouye and Jeff Jarow—demonstrated quick thinking and bravery when they helped save an elderly neighbor from an apartment fire. Their actions, along with the rapid response of the Santa Monica Fire Department, ensured the safe evacuation of all residents. Nichols, an off-duty paramedic with prior fire training, was attending a nearby block party when he noticed smoke coming from the building. Despite wearing flip-flops, he quickly handed his puppy to his brother and ran toward the fire. Understanding the dangers of smoke inhalation, he crawled under the smoke line—approximately 1.5 feet from the ground—while shouting for the resident to evacuate. Inside the apartment, the elderly woman was attempting to put out the fire and had sustained visible but non-life-threatening burns. Nichols repeatedly asked if children were inside and she confirmed they were not. He urged her to leave the apartment and prevented her from re-entering to retrieve her pets. Firefighters later rescued her four cats. Meanwhile, Inouye and Jarow assisted in getting the resident to safety. Inouye kicked open the apartment door and with Jarow’s help, placed the woman on her back to carry her down the stairs. Jarow, who has a bad back and was unable to lift the woman himself, held onto both Inouye and the resident to ensure they could descend safely. Once outside, neighbors worked together to keep the woman warm. The Santa Monica Fire Department extinguished the flames within eight minutes of arrival. Emergency crews continued to monitor for potential fire extension, and City Building Engineers assessed the damage. The cause of the fire remains under investigation by Fire Prevention officials. The Red Cross recognizes the actions of these three individuals as a remarkable example of community spirit and selflessness. These heroes quick response in a dangerous situation helped ensure that no lives were lost in the fire. Photo by Jenny Sherman/American Red Cross.

An evening drive home last December turned into a dramatic water rescue for Scott Dixon, a lifeguard battalion chief with the Long Beach Fire Department’s Marine Safety Division.

Dixon, his wife Kendra and their 11-year-old daughter, Berklee were heading home from a holiday party when they witnessed a pickup truck veer off the road and crash into the flood control channel. 

A Long Beach lifeguard for three decades, Dixon immediately understood the danger. He pulled his car over, jumped out and scrambled down the embankment. As he reached the water’s edge, he heard a desperate scream: “Help! Help, there’s people trapped in the car!” 

Wearing a button-down shirt and slacks, Dixon plunged into the dark water, swimming toward the submerged truck.

The first person he encountered was a teenage girl clinging to the wreckage. She immediately latched onto him, wrapping her arms and legs around his body. He assured her she was safe and swam her to shore, where a bystander helped her out of the water. 

The girl informed Dixon that two more people were still in the truck. Without hesitation, he turned back. As he approached the vehicle, another teenage girl surfaced. Dixon quickly brought her to safety before heading back a third time. The last passenger was an older man, likely in his seventies, floating face-up in the water, unmoving. Concerned about a possible spinal injury, Dixon carefully maneuvered him toward the shore. Though conscious and coherent, the man was clearly shaken, repeatedly saying, "Just give me a minute." Dixon encouraged him to crawl up the embankment just as emergency responders arrived.

Fire personnel took over, providing further medical assistance to the victims. Meanwhile, Dixon returned to his family’s car, where Kendra and Berklee wrapped him in blankets and turned up the heater to warm him. Authorities later confirmed that none of the truck’s occupants suffered serious injuries.

Reflecting on the night, Dixon acknowledged the timing of his presence at the scene as a factor. He and his family wondered how much worse the crash could have been if they hadn’t been driving on Studebaker Road at that exact moment. For his swift and selfless actions that night, Scott Dixon exemplifies what it means to be a humanitarian—demonstrating courage and an unwavering commitment to saving lives. Photo by Matt Beard/American Red Cross.

Tim Sagert, his daughter Laura Chavez, his wife Diana Sagert and the couple's granddaughter, were leaving an LA Rams game when Tim collapsed in the car, suffering a massive heart attack. In that moment, Diana and Laura didn’t hesitate—they knew exactly what to do. 

Diana and Laura immediately pulled over to the side of the road. Diana, having been trained in CPR, took the lead, guiding Laura through the lifesaving process. Diana began chest compressions, while Laura took over with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

Meanwhile, Tim’s granddaughter called 911, providing the emergency responders with vital information about their location and the situation at hand. 

When the paramedics arrived, Tim had no pulse but they were eventually able to revive him. Thanks to the quick actions of Diana and Laura, Tim was successfully resuscitated and did not suffer any negative effects from his near fatal heart attack. Photos by Matt Beard/American Red Cross.

Off-duty firefighter and paramedic Max Whitt was enjoying an evening out with his family at the Big Bear Oktoberfest’s “First Responders' Night”, when a medical emergency occurred.  

During the festivities, Max noticed an unusual commotion and went to investigate. He found a man unconscious on the ground, showing all the signs of a cardiac arrest. Checking for vital signs, Max quickly determined the man had no pulse. Without hesitation, he began CPR with the help of other first responders, while bystanders called 911.    

During the commotion, Max recognized a familiar face—a nurse from St. Mary’s Medical Center in Long Beach and the wife of the unconscious man. Balancing both medical care and emotional support, Max reassured her while simultaneously coordinating lifesaving efforts.    

When the fire department arrived, Max provided a full patient report and continued to assist with patient care. Thanks to immediate life-saving procedures, the man’s heart began to beat again. He was transported to the hospital, where doctors discovered a fully blocked artery—commonly known as the "widow maker."

After a successful catheterization procedure, the victim was stabilized and began recovery. Photo by Matt Beard/American Red Cross.

In the early hours of a November morning last year, Lisa Runnel noticed a fellow employee, Marvin, unresponsive in his chair at his workstation. Without hesitation, Lisa and Hipolito Cerda quickly moved him to the floor to assess his condition. A rebreather mask was attached, and oxygen was administered. Gabriel Suarez checked for a pulse but found none. Recognizing the urgency, he immediately began chest compressions while Mike Johnson and Lisa set up a bag for assisted respirations. Bernardo Gonzalez-Diaz and Hipolito retrieved the Automated External Defibrillator (AED). As CPR cycles continued, the AED was prepared and, once the pads were attached, analyzed Marvin’s heart rhythm. The device advised a shock, which was promptly delivered. Following the shock, CPR resumed until Marvin began breathing on his own, though irregularly. Lisa and Mike provided assisted rescue breaths with a bag-valve mask, ensuring they did not disrupt his normal breathing cycle. A pulse oximeter confirmed his heart rate and oxygen levels were stabilizing. When the paramedics arrived, Marvin was conscious. The team provided crucial information to the EMTs, detailing the sequence of life-saving interventions and monitored vitals. Marvin was transported to the hospital, where he received advanced cardiac care. Due to their quick thinking and teamwork, Lisa Runnel, Hipolito Cerda, Gabriel Suarez, Mike Johnson, and Bernardo Gonzalez-Diaz turned a dire situation into a story of survival. Their decisive actions embody the power of preparedness and collaboration. We are honored to recognize them as Red Cross Hometown Heroes, proving that everyday heroes walk among us—ready to step up when it matters most. Photos by Matt Beard/American Red Cross.