Service clubs honor law enforcement, fire standouts

At a special event held Monday, November 13, at the Grand Tradition, members of local service organizations including Fallbrook Rotary, Village Rotary, Bonsall Rotary, San Luis Rey Rotary, Oceanside Rotary, Fallbrook Kiwanis and Soroptimist International paid tribute to three outstanding individuals who have answered “above and beyond the call of duty” in their call to serve the public.

Sergeant Kirk Van Orsdel, a 19-year veteran of the California Highway Patrol (CHP), was honored as CHP’s ‘Officer of the Year’ for his impressive handling of a heavily armed gunman in July of 2005 in the Cabazon area of Riverside County. Van Orsdel has received many honors for his heroism in the incident, which involved taking down a gunman who had fired some 30 rounds from a fully automatic AK-47 while in pursuit of a former girlfriend. Van Orsdel responded to a 9-1-1 call from the woman, who was being chased down the freeway by the gunman.

“I feel very fortunate to be honored and recognized for the way things turned out that day,” Van Orsdel said. Of his feelings when the incident concluded: “It felt pretty damn good to be alive.” Van Orsdel said he became a CHP officer because “it ran in my family. My dad was on the job.” A resident of Hemet, Van Orsdel celebrates his 19th anniversary with the agency this month.

San Diego County Sheriff’s Deputy Wallace Henderson was lauded at the event as ‘Deputy of the Year.’ With theft- and fraud-related crimes such a problem in our community, the Sheriff’s department says many of the individuals who commit these crimes are supporting a drug habit. His superiors say Deputy Henderson recognizes this and has made it a priority to arrest persons found to be under the influence of or in possession of drugs. They reported that he has made hundreds of arrests in this area and testifies as an expert witness in court. Many of the people Deputy Henderson has arrested for drugs were also found to be in possession of stolen property or otherwise linked to theft- or fraud-related crimes. Although theft-related crime may never be completely stopped, with Deputy Henderson’s continued efforts to get drug users off the street, authorities say they should be able to make a significant impact.

North County Fire Protection District Engineer John McKnight was feted as ‘Firefighter of the Year.’ An affiliate of the district since 1981, McKnight is described by Fire Chief Bill Metcalf as “a standout in our organization. He has made many artistic contributions, including the design of a new patch and logo.” McKnight, in his role as an engineer, is responsible for driving the fire engine and overseeing related technical operations.

“McKnight also designed and runs the process of training and development for individuals moving into the job,” Metcalf said. “He is a real mentor.” Metcalf also said McKnight is fondly known as the “MacGyver” in the department because of his resourcefulness, his ability to find solutions to tricky situations.

“If there is something strange involved, you want John there. He always knows how to figure it out; he is good at improvising,” Metcalf said.