DEDICATION
 
They have been nicknamed “The Bravest” and “The Finest”  Both organizations  consist of ordinary people doing extraordinary things.  Daily, they pull on their uniforms and go where others won’t.  When a building is on fire, and everyone is running away, “The Bravest” rush in.  When gunshots are being fired, and people are hiding or running, “The Finest” go in.  At no time was this more evident than on September 11, 2001, when “The Finest and The Bravest” responded to the World Trade Center in New York, and against terrible odds and with death a near certainty, went in.  Thousands of civilians were saved, and hundreds of “The Bravest and The Finest” made the ultimate sacrifice.

 
The Lake County Bluecoats Jorge Medina Award is awarded to honor “The Bravest and The Finest” for acts of heroism on a local level.  However, those on whom this award has been bestowed, can only act as representatives of their fellow members of our safety forces.  Each and every one of these men and women serving their communities has done something worthy of the award many times over during their careers.  They do not seek accolades and honors, and most will never be recognized.  The stories of the honorees, contained within these pages, are an attempt to record and memorialize their efforts.  But it is also written in honor of all of the men and women representing law enforcement and fire departments of Lake County, each of whom can truly be called a hero.


           As a member privileged to serve as a police officer, and the proud father of a firefighter / paramedic, if is with the highest respect that I am privileged to recount the stories of the winners of the Jorge Medina Award.  Much of the information was gleaned from news stories in the News Herald, which has consistently recognized the award and its winners.  It is to each and every one of these honorees, and to all of our law enforcement officers and firefighters in Lake County, that I dedicate this compilation.