Alpine man awarded Medal of Valor  

By Chris Mac kenzie
The Alpine Sun

     ALPINE — Alpine is home to its very own hero, and a very special one; Battalion Chief Ray Chaney who was awarded the Medal of Valor last week for his acts of bravery by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Ray Chaney, pictured here with his daughter Autumn and Emily, holding the Medal of Valor that he was awarded last week.

     Chaney, who serves with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, earned his award during the 2003 Paradise and Cedar fires by his quick thinking and good judgment. Riding in a spotter plane to survey the wildfire fed by fierce Santa Ana winds, Chaney realized that firefighters had only a 10 minute window to keep the Santa Ysabel blaze from racing toward Ramona. He knew that the fire would slow down for a short while in a small valley where the mountain could shield it briefly from the 40-mile an hour winds.
     He radioed Division Chief Bill Clayton of Carlsbad and Battalion Chief Kevin O’Leary of Ramona, directing the firefighters already on the site.  They agreed to attack, a dangerous move since it put the men on the ground directly in front of the flames. But it worked!
     The fire was kept to less than 300 acres of wild lands destroyed with no homes burned, no deaths and no injuries in that area. All three men were award the Medal of Valor by the governor at a Sacramento ceremony.
     “It was pretty exciting time for all of us,” said Chaney. “My family, my wife, Katie, she’s a nurse at Grossmont, and our daughters, Autumn and Emily, came along to watch the ceremony and then we were able to do some sight seeing in the capitol.”
     The ceremony was the first event of its kind in three years, so 42 people from all walks of life were awarded those beautiful medals for their heroic deeds.
     In the citation given at the ceremony, Chaney’s story was retold.
     “In the dark, early morning hours of Oct. 26, 2003, Chief Chaney was assigned to the Cedar Fire… Battalion Chief Ray Chaney put himself at great personal risk while traveling through the fire and flame front to save numerous civilians… Flames rolled over and under his vehicle.
     “Chief Chaney was assigned to scout out the Barona valley area… Chaney negotiated fallen trees, arcing power lines, and intense flame fronts to gain access and ensure the safety of many civilians (approximately 2,600)… Later it was discovered that the fire had spread at the rate of 30,000 acres per hour (550 acres per minutes, 9 acres per second) while it passed through this area.
     “Chief Chaney operated in the Barona area for more than five hours in intense and very dangerous conditions… many people who live in the are have become aware of Chief Chaney’s actions that night and they too see him as a part of their survival story. They got out because the roads were clear. Chief Chaney’s courage, clear thinking, and excellent decision making under the most stressful, dangerous and personal life threatening conditions saved many lives that night.”
     Chaney has been with the CDF for 22 years, joining after he graduated from high school and working his way up to battalion chief. He lived for a while in Poway and later San Francisco, but the family moved to Alpine in 1999. The girls, 10 and 6 years old respectively, attend Alpine Elementary School.
     Education did not end with high school for Chaney however.
     “We take additional training courses almost every week,” explained Chaney. “In fact it was a class called Infinite Management III that taught me how to fight a fire fed by Santa Ana winds."


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