Two local heroes honored by Red Cross

Photo courtesy of American Red Cross

ANDREA DEVER (LEFT) AND CLAYTON STEFFEN (RIGHT) POSE WITH RAY TENNISON (CENTER), DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR FOR THE AMERICAN RED CROSS, MOUNT RAINER CHAPTER.

Two Fife residents were honored this month at the 2009 Red Cross Real Heroes Award breakfast for their heroism.

Andrea Dever, 30, and Clayton Steffen, 18, of Fife received a “Fire Rescue Heroes” award from the Red Cross, Mount Rainer chapter.

“All of the nominations we received were incredible, but this one really stood out because of the nature of the fire and because the heroes risked their lives to rescue the Devers. It was just an amazing story,” said Karen Kim, spokesperson for the Red Cross chapter. “The committee wanted to ensure they were recognized for their efforts.”

The awards ceremony was a community celebration and fundraiser for the Mount Rainer chapter. Proceeds from the event will be used to support local disaster relief.

Steffen said he was shocked to hear that he would be a recipient of this award.

“I was surprised. I wasn’t expecting it,” Steffen said.

The story began last month, when Steffen was looking out his kitchen window. He saw smoke pouring out of his neighbor’s home, belonging to elderly couple Richard and Glenda Dever. Steffen ran next door to immediately alert the couple’s daughter Andrea Dever.

Within minutes, smoke and flames had fully engulfed the home. Richard, who uses a wheelchair, and his wife Glenda were trapped inside the blaze. Steffen rushed into the house through the back door.

“It was really dark, smoky and noisy inside the house. And I could see flames,” Steffen said. “I don’t know what was going through my mind, I just did what I did.”

After searching, Steffen soon found Richard Dever near the kitchen, picked him up from his wheelchair and carried him outside to the backyard.

Steffen then went back inside to look for Glenda, but the smoke was so intense it forced him back outside.

“I had to get out because I couldn’t breathe,” he said. “The smoke was really overwhelming.”

He ran around to the front of the house where he found Andrea. She had kicked in the front door. Unable to breathe, Andrea went back outside until she heard her stepmother screaming for help.

Andrea immediately ran back inside and finally found Glenda on a burning couch. Unable to carry her, Andrea managed to drag her stepmother all the way down the driveway to safety.

When firefighters arrived, Glenda was rushed to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. She suffered severe burns and is still recovering, but alive.

The fire was so hot it melted nearby cars and destroyed everything from wedding photos to military keepsakes. The fire also damaged Richard’s prosthetic leg. Local Red Cross volunteers arrived at the scene to provide the family with emergency assistance for food, clothing and temporary shelter.

“Now that I look back I think I was pretty crazy,” Steffen said. “I don’t think many people would do what I did.”

For more information on how to donate to the Mount Rainer American Red Cross chapter, visit http://www.rainier-redcross.org. 

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