The County of Los Angeles Fire Department (LACoFD) celebrated Department honorees at the 2025 Valor and Exemplary Service Awards Ceremony on Sunday, May 18, 2025.
Held at the Mayne Events Center and Los Angeles County Fire Museum in the City of Bellflower, this ceremony honors outstanding LACoFD sworn and professional personnel, and public-safety partners who have demonstrated exceptional acts of bravery and courage.
Over 200 guests attended this year as LACoFD Fire Chief Anthony C. Marrone presented the Fire Chief’s Helmet Award, Exemplary Service, Emergency Medical Services, Unit Citation, Certificate of Valor, and the prestigious Medal of Valor awards as ABC7 News Anchor, Marc Brown, emceed the event, recounting the incredible stories of each honoree.
This year’s Medal of Valor Award recipients included Fire Fighter Dustin Roberto (Posthumous), Fire Fighter Jacob Merrill, and Fire Fighter Cody Starbird for the following incidents:
Longview Incident – Firefighter Extrication from Vehicle:
On January 25, 2024, personnel responding to an incident in the City of Palmdale were involved in a head-on vehicle collision where Fire Fighter Dustin Roberto heroically self-extricated, then developed and executed a rescue plan to free his fellow firefighter trapped with injuries inside the responding vehicle.
Scott Incident – Unconscious Trapped Patient Rescue:
On July 25, 2024, firefighters were dispatched to a residential structure fire with a trapped patient in the City of Whittier. Fire Fighters Jacob Merrill and Cody Starbird courageously entered the structure through a bedroom window engulfed with heavy black smoke to save an unconscious, blind individual.
Congratulations to each of this year’s Valor and Exemplary Service Awards honorees. The LACoFD is proud to have dedicated individuals who uphold the Department’s mission and core values.
