Patrick Brady (47) a San Francisco policeman from Dunboyne, Co. Meath, will be awarded the San Francisco Police Department’s Medal of Valor for his bravery in saving a man from a burning building.
Brady, who has lived in the US for 17 years, was returning from crowd control duties on the night of the Super Bowl, when he and another officer, Timothy Donovan, saw fire erupting from a nearby home.
At the scene, Brady learned that a 69-year-old man was trapped inside.
According to a report on the fire, "There was thick black smoke billowing out of the structure and officer Brady knew the male would not survive very long if he was not rescued.”
Without any safety equipment or breathing aids, Brady entered the building and felt his way along the walls until he located the man, Domart Young.
"Officer Brady grabbed the male and dragged him out of the building, saving his life,” the report reads. “Once the family was safe, Officer Brady and Sgt. Donovan evacuated nearby residences as the fire was quickly spreading.”
This marks the second time Brady has been recognized by the SFPD. In 2012, he was named Police Officer of the Year for disarming a dangerous suspect carrying a semi-automatic weapon on a busy street.
At that time, Brady and his colleague, Officer Robert Wong, were sent to follow up on reports of a man walking around with a coffee in one hand and a gun in the other in the Sutro Park area of San Francisco, a popular tourist destination.
When the officers located the suspect, they saw the handle of a gun sticking out of his pants pocket. After approaching and disarming him without incident, Brady and Wong discovered he had been carrying a fully loaded .45 caliber semi-automatic weapon and had been carrying an additional 100 rounds of ammunition.
Brady attended the Coolmine Community school in Dublin and immigrated to the US in 1997. He wife, Maria, is a school principal. According to the Herald, he is the son of late Dunboyne gravedigger John Brady.
Comments