It's not often that someone who is not a professional emergency service responder risks their life to save others. But when a fire started at the Beverly Drive apartment complex on Jan. 21, 23-year-old Trevor Kasimoff sprung into action.
During the Feb. 12 meeting of the Rohnert Park City Council, the council bestowed upon Kasimoff a Certificate of Recognition for Oustanding Service for his role in saving at least five people during that fire.
Kasimoff didn't live at the , but was watching TV at his home behind the complex around 1:25 a.m., when he heard a fire alarm and looked outside to see that the apartment complex was ablaze.
Kasimoff, a Mary's Pizza Shack employee, left his home and hopped the fence over to the apartment complex, where he saw a woman leaning from a second-story window. Kasimoff caught the woman's two children, a boy of about 6 and a girl two years or younger, into, and then broke the woman's fall as she jumped out the window.
"I put my arms out and was able to break her fall, but we both fell to the ground," Kasimoff said.
Kasimoff then turned his attention to people yelling for help from a next-door apartment, and helped them evacuate from the home by propping a 20-foot ladder next to the window so a man and a woman could climb down to safety.
For that, the Rohnert Park City Council bestowed the award upon Kasimoff during its meeting. The award is given to residents who display exceptional service to the city and its residents.
Investigators from both Rohnert Park and the Bureau of Alcohot, Tobacco and Firearsm continue to investigate the cause of the fire, which they have classified as suspicious.
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