Jose Elias Ortega Receives Civilian Life Saving Award

Spring Fire Chief Scott Seifert presented Spring resident Jose Elias Ortega with a Civilian Life Saving Award on Saturday, September 29.
At the ceremony, Chief Seifert praised Ortega for his “selfess actions that helped save two lives.”

(Pictured Jose Elias Ortega and Fire Chief Scott Seifert)
“The Spring Fire Family extends far beyond the people who work and volunteer with our department,” added Seifert. “Every member of the community we serve is part of our family. On June Second, one member of that extended family went above and beyond” when he noticed his neighbor’s home was on fire.

(Pictured: Jose Elias Ortega with his Civilian Lifesaving Award)
“At great personal risk to his safety, Mr. Ortega entered that burning home and pulled one of his neighbors to safety,” Seifert continued. “But he didn’t stop there. He then helped our firefighters move his injured neighbor to the front of the house so Cypress Creed EMS could get her to a Life Flight helicopter. He also helped us find a second person since inside.”


(Pictured left to right: Spring District Chief Jimmy Stewart, firefighter Marc Corbeil, firefighter Tyler Crane, Jose Elias Ortega, Captain Tim Weiman, firefighter Jeremie Bricout and Fire Chief Scott Seifert)
The Spring firefighters who responded to the house fire on Millgate were present to cheer on Ortega as he received the Spring Fire Department’s highest civilian honor. They then took Ortega and his family on a tour of Fire Station 71.