Teen receives award after saving family from house fire
By Alexis Cortez and Whitney Clark
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PHOENIX, Arizona (KPHO) — A Phoenix teen was honored for saving his family from a house fire back in November. The Young Marines awarded 16-year-old Salvador Velazquez the Life Saving Ribbon Award on Saturday afternoon.
On Nov. 5, Velazquez was inside his family’s home when he saw smoke and flames coming out of the house. He called 911 and quickly jumped into action, going upstairs to help his family escape the burning home. Velazquez carried his cousin out of the house before going back inside to get his grandmother. Now, four months later, Velazquez was given the first-degree Life Saving Ribbon Award during a ceremony at Fire Station 54 in Phoenix. The Young Marines say this type of award is rarely received but Velazquez was given it because he put himself in a dangerous situation to save his family’s lives.
Family, friends, Young Marines and firefighters gathered to watch Velazquez receive the award. Col. William P. Davis, national executive director and CEO of the Young Marines, presented the award to Velazquez. “He had to make decisions that really a young kid should not have to make,” one official said. “Really heroic for a little kid to have to go through this and deal with the situation.”
Velazquez says only one thing was on his mind during those terrifying moments: getting his family out of the home. “Make sure everyone gets out the house, make sure everyone’s safe. Just to make sure no one’s in the house while the fire was going on. Luckily, everything turned out good,” he said.
Velazquez says he credits his training for helping him to keep calm in a dangerous situation. “The Young Marines teaches us to keep discipline, to keep a steady mind whenever something happens. I do give credit to the Young Marines for showing me how to stay calm during situations like that,” Velazquez added.
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