Cascades Region
Serving Oregon and
Southwest Washington
3131 N. Vancouver
Portland, OR 97227
Monique Dugaw
Regional Director of
Communications
Phone: (503) 877-7121
[email protected]
Red Cross Honors Local Heroes as Part of Centennial Celebration
The Red Cross will honor the heroic actions of local community members at the Hero Awards
event in March. The event is part of the year-long celebration of 100 years of Red Cross
services in our local community.
PORTLAND, Ore. February 28, 2017– The American Red Cross in Oregon and Southwest
Washington (the Cascades Region) will hold its Heroes Centennial Celebration event on March
24, 2017, at 7 a.m. at the Vancouver Hilton. The event honors ordinary people and their
extraordinary and lifesaving actions while raising funds for the local Red Cross. This year’s
celebration marks 20 years of Heroes Breakfast events and 100 years of Red Cross services in
Oregon and Southwest Washington.
Heroes Breakfast details:
7 a.m. – 9 a.m. (doors open at 6:30 a.m.)
Hilton Vancouver, Washington 301 W 6th in Vancouver, WA
For more information and to purchase tickets visit redcross.org/Heroes2017.
Heroes that will be honored this year include: an Eagle Scout who took the wheel, stopped the
vehicle and administered CPR after his grandfather suffered cardiac arrest while driving; the
firefighters that evacuated the area of the gas explosion in Northwest Portland, ultimately saving
countless lives while risking their own; and a man who pulled another man from a sinking car
just before it was completely submerged in floodwaters.
The Heroes will be recognized on the court of the Portland Trail Blazers basketball game on
March 25. A portion of ticket sales for this game ($5) will be given to the local Red Cross. To
purchase tickets to the Red Cross Trail Blazers game visit www.rosequarter.com/redcross.
Full List of Hero Award Winners and Incident Recaps
Adult Good Samaritan: Dave Della Paolera, Hiedi Poulson and Kim Detter
David Della Paolera was driving with his son on Southwest Washington’s Highway 503 when he
came upon a fiery car crash. Without hesitating, he stopped his vehicle and jumped out to help
the man who was unconscious and trapped inside. Della Paolera pulled the man out of the car
just before it exploded. Kim Detter, a former medical assistant who witnessed the crash, and
Hiedi Poulson, a combat medic, also came to the man’s rescue. They worked together to treat
the man’s life-threatening wounds until medical personnel arrived. Thanks to the quick and
brave actions of the three heroes, the car crash victim survived what could have been a fatal
collision and subsequent explosion.
Youth Good Samaritan: Brandon Miller
After picking up supplies to finish his Eagle Scout project (a teeter totter for homeless children
living at a local homeless shelter) Brandon Miller, then 16, said he felt compelled to ride in the
car with his grandpa as they drove home. Brandon’s grandfather, Jerry, was behind the wheel
and the pair was on the highway when Jerry suffered cardiac arrest and lost consciousness.
Miller instantly took control of the vehicle, pulled his grandfather’s foot off the gas pedal and
eventually brought the vehicle to a stop on the side of the road. He pulled his grandfather out of
the vehicle and onto the ground, and ran to the nearest house to call 911. Miller then returned to
his grandfather and performed CPR until an EMS crew arrived.
Military Hero: Rex Donaldson
Rex Donaldson, a United States Army veteran, was outside his Vancouver apartment and
suddenly noticed the glow of flames in a neighboring apartment building. He and his wife
instinctively ran straight towards the flames to assist people stuck in the apartments, which were
quickly becoming engulfed in flames. Donaldson helped pull several people from the burning
building to safety, including one man who had to jump out a second-story window and into his
arms. With Donaldson’s help, firefighters were able to rescue everyone who was in the building
and no one was seriously injured.
Workplace Hero: Chad Worthington and Daniel Salazar
During his overnight work shift at a construction site, Chad Worthington was sitting in the front
seat of an attenuator – a vehicle designed to protect road workers from the impact of a crash.
He saw out of the corner of his eye a van headed directly for his vehicle and he braced himself
for impact. Uninjured but still in shock, Worthington jumped out of the vehicle and ran towards
the van, which was now on fire. A woman and a child were still inside the van. Daniel Salazar,
who was working at a construction site nearby, heard the crash reported over his radio and
rushed to the scene to help. Together, Worthington and Salazar broke the van’s windows and
pulled the woman and child to safety before the van became completely engulfed in flames.
Blood Hero: Cody Hermeling
In 2010, Cody Hermeling was the victim of a serious car crash that left him with severe head
trauma, numerous fractures and a ruptured spleen. After being rescued from his crushed
vehicle, Hermeling was rushed to a nearby hospital and given a three percent chance to
survive. He had to be revived at least three times and his emergency treatment required 187
units of blood. Wanting to give back to those who helped save his life, Hermeling and his
mother, Kathleen, organized a blood drive the following year as a way to give back to the
donors who supplied the blood that saved his life. They have held a blood drive every year since
and more than 300 pints of blood have been collected as a result of their annual drives.
Medical/CPR Rescue Hero: Deputy Sheriff Albin Boyse and DRO Joe Reed
Columbia River High School Security Officer Joe Reed and Clark County Sheriff’s Deputy Albin
Boyse jumped straight into action when they heard over their radios that a student had
collapsed in the gymnasium during football practice. Boyse checked the boy for a pulse and
realized he didn’t have one. Reed began performing CPR while Boyse directed a person
standing by to retrieve a defibrillator. The student’s heart started and stopped beating several
times as Reed worked to resuscitate him. The student was transported to the hospital and
thanks to Reed and Boyse’s quick action, he made a full recovery.
Professional Rescue Hero: Portland Fire Engine 3 and Truck 3
In late October, Portland Fire and Rescue responded to a reported natural gas leak in a densely
populated area of Northwest Portland. Upon arrival, Battalion Chief Jamie Klum realized the
seriousness of the situation and called for an evacuation of the building. The fire crew entered
the building and knocked on resident doors to ensure everyone had been evacuated. Some
crewmembers were not able to move far enough away from the building before it exploded.
Portland Fire Lieutenant Peter St. John was thrown from the area by the explosion and
sustained serious injuries which required multiple surgeries. Four other first responders and
three civilians were also injured in the blast. Klum and his crew are credited with saving the lives
of the many people who were in the building by risking their lives to evacuate before it exploded.
Water Rescue Hero: Dan Windon
Dan Windon had dropped his son off at daycare and was driving on a remote country road in
Camas, Washington, when he was flagged down by a woman on the side of the road next to a
ditch. She pointed to a car that was almost completely submerged in floodwaters, indicating
there was a man trapped inside. Windon immediately got out of his truck, grabbed a tow hitch
from his vehicle to break the window and rushed into the water to help. The man had been
trapped in the car for several minutes and had been holding his breath in the submerged car
until Windon was able to break the window and pull him out of the car to safety.
About the American Red Cross
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters;
supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides
international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross
is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American
public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org/Cascades or find
us on Twitter at @RedCrossCasc.
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