2008
On August 5, 2008, Boise Police Officer Jason Rose responded to a Code Three call to "assist Fire". Officer Rose observed the fire, propelled by 50 mph winds, racing towards the Oregon Trail Heights Subdivision. Officer Rose drove to the threatened subdivision where he was joined by Boise Police Officer Chris Davis. Breathing thick, black, toxic smoke, Officer Rose and Davis ran from door to door, evacuating residents from their homes. After clearing one such home, Officer Rose was leaving the residence when he felt as if he "had been hit in the back with a sledgehammer." He flew off the porch and was thrown facedown onto the ground as the house behind him exploded. Knowing he had almost been killed, Officer Rose picked himself up and pressed on through the flames and chaos. On numerous occasions, forty-foot walls of flame forced the officers to dive for cover. Propane tanks and water heaters exploded around them, shooting high into the air. Houses were burning as the officers entered home after home to make sure the residents were safely evacuated. Officers Rose and Davis remained committed to evacuating the residents without regard for their own lives, causing them to become trapped in a cul-de-sac by a 100-foot wave of swirling flames. Officer Rose drove his patrol car through a barrier, allowing them to escape with their lives. Officer Rose's selfless and heroic efforts averted the probable loss of many lives.