The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office recognized two individuals, a deputy and school coach, for stepping up to save people in need. During MDSO’s monthly award ceremony, MDSO Lieutenant Luis Correa Jr. and Lighthouse Ministry School’s physical education teacher William Varas were awarded for the ir brave actions to rescue people in danger. Officials say Correa was putting fuel into his MDSO cruiser at a county facility in Southwest Miami-Dade in June when a violent explosion happened at a nearby manhole where two people were said to be working at the time. The explosion killed one of the workers and left the other seriously injured. In the midst of the rapidly unfolding chaos, Correa had to act quickly. Upon arrival to the scene, Correa was able to pull that injured worker to safety for paramedics. “Without a moment’s notice, you move toward danger with remarkable resolve and facilitated the worker’s extraction to a place of safety, allowing emergency medical personnel to begin live-saving care,” said Leannet Gonzalez for MDSO. Chief criminal investigator Rita Rodriguez, who works with Correa, said she was not surprised when she first found out how he responded to the incident. “I heard that it was him, and I heard what he did and how he assisted and how he saved this gentleman’s life, how he reacted, it was no surprise to me that he would’ve reacted the way that he did because he’s a hero,” said Rodriguez. Joining Correa in the spotlight was school coach William Varas. In early May, one of Varas’ students had stopped to drink some water during his class. The student had left the cap on the bottle when the student attempted to drink, causing them to start choking. “The cap became dislodged and accidentally lodged in the child’s throat, blocking the airway and preventing the child from breathing,” said Gonzalez. The student immediately ran to Varas, pleading for help. Varas understood what was happening and immediately began performing the Heimlich maneuver. After a short time, he succeeded in dislodging the cap. “The bottle cap successfully expelled from the child’s throat, which permitted the child to breathe again,” said Gonzalez. While accepting his award, the first-ever MDSO Citizen of the Month, Varas remained humble, saying he did exactly what anybody else would do in the same circumstances. “I just did what I think any of you would do for any little one. I would treat any other parents’ kids that way, I just did my job,” said Varas. Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz said that, in acknowledging the actions of an active deputy and of a school teacher, any member of the community is capable of rising up to the occasion when tragedy strikes and making a difference in saving someone’s life. “There are good people everywhere in our community; good people doing good things, stepping into difficult moments and stepping up to help others,” said Cordero-Stutz. For Correa’s heroic efforts, he was named as MDSO’s Distinguished Deputy of the Month and awarded the Silver Medal of Valor and life-saving award. ...read more read less