_{Thumbnail photo: Crescent City firefighters Beau Smith, Dave Bowdish and Eugene Starkey received commendations from Fire Chief Kevin Carey for distinguished service after facing a dangerous subject armed with a “knife-type weapon.” | Screenshot}

Crescent City Fire Chief Kevin Carey applauded three of his firefighters, not only for facing a dangerous subject armed with a “knife-type weapon,” but for providing aid to that person when law enforcement shot him.

Carey awarded distinguished service commendations to Capt. Beau Smith, Engineer Dave Bowdish and Firefighter Eugene Starkey, who had responded to a call for an individual covered in blood on the beach near Anchor Way on June 27. 

The chief praised their decision to call on law enforcement for help when the patient approached firefighters, saying it showed great courage and situational awareness.

“Our law enforcement partners engaged with their response and tragically our members, who just had their lives threatened, had to jump in and save that same individual’s life,” Carey told the Crescent City Council on Monday. “Immediately having to put what they just experienced behind them, they did all they could to save that individual’s life.”

The individual, 44-year-old Patrick George Selvage, had been shot by a California Highway Patrol officer, one of two who responded to Anchor Way west of U.S. 101 after volunteer firefighters called for assistance. A Del Norte County Sheriff’s deputy also responded.

When they arrived on scene, officers ordered the subject to drop his weapon, the California Highway Patrol said in a press release on June 28. The subject continued to approach law enforcement, prompting the sheriff’s deputy to deploy an “electronic control device.”

When the subject continued charging law enforcement, one of the CHP officers fired his weapon, according to the CHP press release. The subject was transported to Sutter Coast Hospital where he died of his wounds.

On Monday, both Crescent City Police Chief Richard Griffin and Lt. Cmdr. Franco Castro, the new commander of the CHP’s Crescent City office, praised the three firefighters.

“I thought they were all paid staff,” Castro said. “To find out that they were volunteers blew my mind.”

Castro, who has been with the CHP for about 27 years, comes to Crescent City from Indio, Calif. He said he plans to stay in the area for at least three years, adding that he purchased a home in Crescent City.

In other matters, councilors recognized the local McDonalds restaurant for its donation of $1,200, which will go toward bounce houses during the National Night Out event next month. 

Crescent City’s event will be held from 5 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Aug. 12 at Beachfront Park and will feature live music, K9 demonstrations, vehicle tours, a helicopter landing from CalOre Life Flight and raffle prizes. SeaQuake will provide the food, Griffin told the City Council.

There will also be a “whole bunch of backpacks to give away and bicycles” and a potential Bigfoot sighting, Griffin said.

While this year’s event is being held a week prior to the national event to allow Griffin to be there, the chief said credit for the event goes to Magnolia Valero, a former full-time police officer who was sworn in as a reserve officer on Monday.