Costa Mesa man honored for rescue efforts

Deirdre Newman

Orange County Sheriff’s Deputy Christopher Corn was clearing debris

from the propeller of a fireboat as part of his duties with the

Harbor Patrol in Newport Beach when the call came in.

A female had been seen in distress in the water near the Seal

Beach Pier and two men had jumped off the pier to save her.

Corn and his colleague, Deputy Stephen Shandrick, raced to the

scene and pulled the victim from the frigid water. They administered

CPR on the way to the Long Beach Lifeguard Dock in Los Alamitos Bay.

The victim ultimately died from her injuries suffered in that

February 2003 accident. Nonetheless, Corn and Shandrick were among 10

sheriff’s deputies honored Friday for their heroic efforts. They

received Medals for Lifesaving at the 16th annual Medal of Valor

luncheon in Irvine.

“I’m so honored to be with the rest of the guys who put their

lives on the line, like the ones involved in shootings and helping

other folks,” said Corn, a Costa Mesa resident.

Corn’s mother, Shirley Barlow, flew in from Florida on Wednesday

so she could watch her son being honored. She was beaming as she

watched Corn and the other deputies pose for pictures after the

awards ceremony. Her son has always been unflappable under pressure,

she said.

“He’s always been like this, his entire life,” Barlow said ‘He’s

very cool and calm under any kind of stressful situation. I think

that’s why he’s so effective.”

Sharing the stage with Corn was Steven Armand, now a two-time

honoree and a 1970 graduate of Newport Harbor High School. Armand,

who now lives in Mission Viejo, was honored for trying to resuscitate

a man who hanged himself in March 2003. He also received a Medal for

Lifesaving.

“The appreciation and gratitude doesn’t always come our way, so

it’s always nice to receive accolades and thanks of the public,”

Armand said.

Armand received his first medal in 2002 for rescuing a young boy

trapped under a car in Mission Viejo. The ability to react in extreme

situations is mostly a result of the training sheriff’s deputies

receive, he said.

“Once you receive a call and get out there, you size up what you

have and go into action,” Armand said. “You’re not consciously

thinking. You’re just doing it because you’re trained to respond in a

certain way. So you keep going on an adrenaline rush until it’s all

over.”