LAFD firefighters honored for going beyond call of duty at annual VALOR awards

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- From car fires to wildfires, the work of a firefighter is never easy.

Oftentimes, they risk their lives for people they don't know, and on Wednesday, they were celebrated as heroes. Several members of the Los Angeles Fire Department were honored for going beyond the call of duty at the department's annual VALOR awards ceremony.

Guests had the opportunity to meet the honorees, like Shedrick Griggs, who was honored for saving a man from a burning truck in the middle of the 134 Freeway in Burbank earlier this year.

Video shows the overturned truck on fire as crews pull the victim through a shattered windshield. The victim survived thanks to help of Griggs.

"I don't feel like a hero, I'm just doing what I was called to do," he said.

The 34-year-old was just two years into serving as an LAFD firefighter, a career he's been wanting since he was 7.

"I came in first place in the little push up competition with one of our firefighters, so I was like, 'Ok, if he could do it, I can do it,' and 20 years later, here I am," said Griggs.

Firefighters Ethan Ramirez and apparatus operator Jake Peters were both honored with a Medal of Merit.

In January, Peters responded to a house fire in which the 25-year-old said his faith led him toward the two people trapped inside.

"All I can say was in that moment, it was God telling me to turn around and go the other way," he said. "I think about it quite a bit and I was happy the person made it out and successfully alive today."

Ramirez saved the life of a fellow firefighter in February after they were standing on the roof of a burning home that partially collapsed. Ramirez pulled his colleague to safety.

"Anyone else on this job would have done the exact same thing that I did given the scenario," he said.

According to LAFD, firefighters responded to more than 500,000 calls last year and they're on track to surpassing that number this year.