MISSION VIEJO : Girl Gets Award for Valor in Fire Rescue

She woke the family after hearing a fire alarm. She dashed into a burning bedroom to save her 3-year-old brother, then braved the flames a second time to help pull her 20-month-old brother from his crib. Finally, she shut the bedroom door to help keep the fire from spreading before dashing out of the house.

Eleven-year-old Emmalee Pickett-Whitmer, a fifth-grader at Montevideo Elementary School, learned well the fire safety lessons taught by the Orange County Fire Department at her school. The Lake Forest student was given the department’s highest civilian award, the Certificate of Valor, at a school assembly last week for helping rescue her brothers from the March 1 blaze.

With her proud parents looking on, fire officials praised Emmalee’s bravery and poise in the face of danger.

“She was able to stay calm and do what was necessary,” said Battalion Chief Steve Whitaker of the Orange County Fire Department. “She was clearly responsible for saving the lives of her two younger brothers.”

The sound of a smoke detector alarm jarred Emmalee awake shortly before 8 a.m. Yelling at her parents, she ran to the bedroom where her brothers were asleep and where the fire had started. Stopping first to feel the doorknob to make sure fire hadn’t consumed the room, she opened the door.

“The fire was near my brother’s bed and he ran out the door when I opened it,” she said. “It was like a movie, and I was kind of scared, but I kept thinking about what they taught us in school--don’t panic--and that helped a lot.”

She came back with her stepfather, Rick Whitmer. The fire had grown, threatening the crib where the toddler was crying. Whitmer ran to the crib, picked the child up and tossed him to Emmalee.

“We always play football at school and I’m pretty good at catching,” she said. “I didn’t drop him.”

They ran outside the room, with Emmalee stopping to close the door behind, which Whitaker said helped prevent the fire from spreading. Whitmer tried to contain the blaze with a garden hose until firefighters arrived.

“Even trained personnel, when they have a personal emergency, sometimes freeze up,” Whitaker said. “She showed a lot of confidence.”

The county fire education program reaches more than 130 elementary schools in Orange County. About 10,000 children receive a four-week course each year that includes two visits from firefighters.

“Often, the children go home and educate their parents,” said Kathleen Cha, a spokeswoman for the Fire Department.

It was unclear what started the fire at the family’s home, Whitmer said, adding that the damage amounted to $61,000. Part of the family is living in a motel until the house can be repaired. Emmalee is staying with a friend near the school.

Church and school officials are helping raise money for the family. Donations can be sent to Montevideo Elementary School, 24071 Carrillo Drive, Mission Viejo, 92691.

Despite their financial hardship, Whitmer said the family is lucky.

“I don’t know what we would have done without Emmalee,” he said. ‘We’re all very proud of her.”