Bryce Greschke, the city of Poway’s stormwater flood control lead, was driving to work on Espola Road north of Poway High School in the early morning of July 5 when he saw a cloud of smoke ahead.
As he got closer, he saw that the driver of a midsized pickup truck had hit a large eucalyptus tree. “He had run head-on into the tree,” recalled Greschke. “I don’t know why or how it happened. I don’t know if he had a health episode or if he just lost control of the vehicle.”
Greschke, 59, also noticed that a fire had started underneath the back end of the truck. Another man on the scene who appeared to be a firefighter was using a fire extinguisher to fight the blaze, he said.
Greschke went up to the driver, who was struggling to get out of the truck, and helped him get out. The two got away from the truck before it was engulfed in flames. And then he called for help.
“That’s when the Poway Fire Department showed up,” he said. “It was just more of an instinct to make sure he was OK. I didn’t think it was a big deal, but I just wanted to make sure he was safe and then I got right into work mode.”
Bryce Greschke received a Spirit of Courage Award from the Burn Institute and a Mayor’s Medallion from the Poway City Council.
(Courtesy Bryce Greschke)
Greschke’s quick response earned him a Spirit of Courage Award from the Burn Institute. The award was given out at a May 4 ceremony held at Liberty Station in San Diego where four other heroes were also honored.
The other honorees werer Davis Benner and Khristyna Gimeno, both corporals in the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, Alfredo Berumen and Christian Lara, a California Highway Patrol officer.
Burn Institute award winners in 2023 are from left, front row, Kyle O’Neill, Ann Malo, Chris Wirsley, Julie Bubnack, and back row, Christian Lara, Davis Benner, Khristyna Gimeno, Bryce Greschke, Alfredo Beruman.
(Robin L. Wood)
The awards are typically given to civilians or first responders who are off duty, so the honor recognizes people who have gone “above and beyond” what they are expected to do in terms of saving a life from a fire or fire incident, said Bobby Gordon, Burn Institute director of marketing and events.
The program was initiated in 1974 by a local support group for burn survivors called Burns Recovered. Local fire service and law enforcement agencies send nominations and then a Burn Institute board committee comprised of fire service personnel and other professionals select the final recipients.
Greschke was nominated by Poway Fire Chief Jeff Chumbley.
“I’m honored and I’m definitely humbled,” Greschke said a few days before the ceremony. “It’s nothing I felt that I went above and beyond. I was just doing what other people would have done in that circumstance.
“I don’t look at it in the same light as other people look at it,” he added. “I just happened to be in the right place at the right time to get the needed assistance. I just did the best I could at the time, and it seemed like it all worked out.”
Greschke was also honored at an Oct. 4 Poway City Council meeting when Mayor Steve Vaus awarded him the Mayor’s Medallion.
“As one small token of our appreciation we give you the Mayor’s Medallion,” Vaus said. “We don’t give them out very often but when you save a life you absolutely qualify.”
A Mayor’s Medallion is awarded with, from left, Poway Public Works Director Eric Heidemann, Council member Caylin Frank, former Council member Dave Grosch, Stormwater Flood Control Supervisor Bryce Greschke, former Council member John Mullin and Mayor Steve Vaus.
(Courtesy City of Poway)
When Greschke arrived at the scene of the accident, the first thing he noticed were chlorine bottles and tablets scattered all over the road, he said. He assumed the driver was a pool cleaner and the impact of the crash had left hazardous chemicals covering the road, he said.
Having some emergency training with the city and experience in the Navy Reserves, Greschke quickly assessed the situation and did what he could to help.
“I could really smell the chlorine,” said Greschke, who recalled that his eyes stung and his throat was scratchy from the fumes. “I went to help him out of the truck, then took him back to my truck. He had chlorine all over him. I helped him take off his sweatshirt and poured water over his eyes. He had blood on his hands and wrists where he was holding his steering wheel.”
The fire had spread to a tree near a block wall beside homes in the neighborhood, so Greschke called for backup help. He notified the operator on call for the city’s water treatment plant to tell them about the collision and location, and they called the city’s Department of Safety Services.
Greschke, an El Cajon resident, was Poway’s stormwater flood control lead at the time of the accident but has since been promoted to supervisor.
At work, he routinely cleans concrete channels, removes vegetation and ensures wastewater is clean. At the accident scene, he knew what to do to prevent the chemicals from running down the curbs and into the storm drains.
A Hazardous Materials Team, or HAZMAT, was also called in to clean up the spill.
Greschke said he never heard back about the extent of the truck driver’s injuries. He went to see a doctor at Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Center after the chemical exposure but was told he had no injuries.
At the Mayor’s Medallion ceremony, Poway Public Works Director Eric Heidemann said Greschke showed quick thinking in helping to move the driver to a safe area away from the burning truck and ignited chemicals.
He contacted authorities, cleared the roadway of oncoming traffic, and tended to the driver, rinsing chemicals from his face and upper extremities, Heidemann said. The driver was disoriented, bleeding and had difficulty breathing and chest pains.
Greschke went on to contain the liquids and chemicals that had spilled out of the truck. After HAZMAT secured the incident scene, he coordinated the stormwater crew to complete the final steps of the cleanup, Heidemann said.
“Bryce is an 18-year veteran of the city of Poway,” he said. “We have high expectations of staff and expect employees to do the right thing and to provide exceptional customer service. What Bryce did was above our expectations. What Bryce did helped save this man’s life.”
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