On April 28, 2009, while driving through the city of Daytona Beach, Deputy Chief of Police, Steve Beres of the Daytona Beach Police Department smelled what appeared to be a fire. Upon further investigation he determined that it was a residential fire fully engulfed at 835 S. Ridgewood Avenue. Deputy Chief Beres observed a person inside the residence laying on the floor yelling for help. Without hesitation or fear of injury he attempted to gain entry into the home in order to rescue this individual by forcing his way through the front door and side door, but was driven back by the flames. Even after crawling into the structure reaching the subject he was unsuccessful due to the flames and smoke. Once the smoke cleared at the side entrance, which was now open, Beres’ help had arrived and Officer Lindsay Jones and Sergeant Randy Doyle were successful in gaining entry through that door and pulled the victim out of the fully engulfed structure. At that point all three (Beres, Jones, Doyle) pulled the resident further into the yard to a place of safety. For their heroic efforts Beres, Jones, and Doyle have been named the ‘ExtenZe Local Hero’ and will serve as Honorary Crew Chief’s for NASCAR’s leading Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year driver #34-Kevin Conway and his ExtenZe racing team for this 4th of July weekend’s NASCAR events at Daytona International Speedway.(ExtenZe Racing) for more info on nominating local heroes, see my #34 Team News and Links page.(6-30-2010)
