CARMICHAEL, CA (MPG) - A standing ovation and legislative commendations honored John Mohamed as the Park Ranger was feted by Carmichael community last week.

The hero of a Madison Avenue fire, Mohamed recently received a Medal of Valor from the National Park Rangers Association. Employed by Fulton El Camino Park Police and serving other park districts, the officer is equally popular for the professionalism of his service as for his dancing during rock concerts.

Mohamed stepped from park duty and into real danger when he noticed a shuttered restaurant ablaze in May of 2022. First reporting the conflagration, he climbed through a fence to check for occupants. He quickly removed a transient from the fully engulfed building. Leaving the man in a Sheriff’s care, Mohamed reentered the fire to seek other occupants. The roof was collapsing as he struggled to exit.

“My chest was heavy, my throat hurt,” he recalls of his escape. “My first lungful of outside air felt good. I was thankful to have made it out.” The hero was hospitalized and treated for throat and lung damage. More than a year later he still has a persistent cough.

His actions resulted in decoration and community gratitude. “He’s a hero,” considers Carmichael Chamber of Commerce Board Chair Izzy De Lancey. “He didn’t think about his own life; he immediately set out to save somebody else. Officer Mohamed demonstrates how the skills of one highly trained professional can make our community a safer place.”

Attending the Chamber luncheon with his fiancée Denise Ulm, the Ranger accepted congratulations and framed commendations. “I grew up in this area and I've always loved working here,” he told Chamber of Commerce members.

“I don’t think of myself as a hero. All these honors have surprised and humbled me. I just did my job to the best of my ability. The reason I was able to respond to this situation as I did was because of years of training from other officers. I’m grateful to them. And I’m glad there was no loss of life, and that no one was left behind.”