A/Lt. Jason Dunham opened a recent city staff meeting by recognizing several Tehachapi Police Department members for their actions at a house fire on March 8, in the City of Tehachapi. Sergeant James Clark, Officer Jared McCombs, Officer Richard Kiser, Officer Andy Orozco, Officer Adriana Aguilar, Officer Richard Flores and Police Technician Patricia Hook received the following commendation for their actions during this incident.

"On March 8, 2023, Officers responded to a house fire at 520 E. D St. The reporting party called 911 to report they could see their neighbor's house on fire and could hear multiple explosions. The call was transferred to Kern County Fire Department to gather additional information.

"TPD Officers were dispatched at 2026 hours and arrived on scene four minutes later at 2030 hours. Upon arrival, officers immediately began evacuating the occupants of the house which was fully engulfed in flames and the surrounding homes. During that time Police Technician Patricia Hock answered 11 911 calls, all while simultaneously communicating with officers on scene. Subsequently no one was hurt, and no lives were lost.

"Each of you is to be commended for your actions. You demonstrated sound judgement, excellent communication skills, teamwork and outstanding tactics. Furthermore, your timely response resulted in the preservation of life for numerous residents in the city of Tehachapi.

"Each of your actions makes me extremely proud and the manner in which you represented the Tehachapi Police Department is remarkable. Efforts such as these reflect admirably upon both the department and you as individuals. Outstanding work!"