COMMENDATION

Officer Richard J. Dovale

On September 28, 2005 at about 2:50 A.M. Officer Crawford was dispatched to an alarm call at 308 Hibiscus Trail. Upon his arrival he observed the inside of the home filling with smoke. Officer Dovale responded as the back up officer. Officer Crawford was in the back of the residence, searching for a point of entry. He was banging on the walls and doors and yelling to alert any occupants.

Officer Dovale went to the front of the residence and seeing the home filling with smoke removed a screen and forced open a window. Climbing into the home Officer Dovale was able to wake up the female resident and escort her to safety. Officer Dovale re-entered the residence to look for other occupants and discovered the source of the fire was food burning on the stove. He removed the burning food and shut off the stove.

Your courage, alertness and professionalism resulted in removing a resident from a life threatening situation and helped prevent the fire from spreading. Your actions have made you a true asset and credit to yourself, this department and the Town of Melbourne Beach . I am proud of your accomplishments and am proud to have you a part of my team.

In recognition for your outstanding performance, I present you with the Melbourne Beach Police Department's Lifesaving Award for your alert action in the saving of a life.

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David R. Syrkus

Chief of Police