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Contact: James Woolsey, 775-234-7502
BAKER, NV – During a virtual ceremony on Thursday, September 23, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced the recipients of the Department’s most prestigious awards during the 75th Honor Award Convocation. Joshua Vann, manager of the Law Enforcement Program at Great Basin National Park, received a Citation for Valor on Thursday from the Department of the Interior for bravery and lifesaving efforts.
On November 6, 2020, a park visitor entered the parking lot area of the Lehman Caves Visitor Center at high speed, failed to slow down, and crashed into a vegetated island. After the crash, the individual was unable to exit the vehicle, which caught fire just as Joshua arrived on scene. Joshua entered the burning vehicle and pulled the visitor to safety just before the vehicle exploded. Without his heroic efforts, the visitor would likely have died.
Massive flames soon spread to nearby vegetation, and spot fires started spreading through historic fruit orchards. Strong winds made the situation even more dangerous. If this fire had gotten out of control, it could have burned primary park structures or houses just outside the park boundary. Joshua served as the incident commander, deploying NPS staff and the local volunteer fire department to gain control of the situation.
For more information, please contact James Woolsey, (775) 234-7502.
Last updated: September 24, 2021