The Chino Valley Fire District Board of Directors adopted Resolution Number 93-16 in 1993 honoring then Fire Board Director Fred L. Burns for a lifetime of extraordinary service to the community and established the Fred L. Burns Community Service Award to recognize an individual for contributing to the Chino Valley Independent Fire District.
In 2013 the Chino Valley Fire District Board of Directors adopted Resolution No. 2013-11 memorializing the lifetime of extraordinary service by the late Fred L. Burns and the significance of continuing the tradition of identifying and recognizing an individual from the Chino Valley community to receive the Fred L. Burns Community Service Award in accordance with the resolution.
Nomination Period and Criteria
Chino Valley Fire accepts nominations for this prestigious award between midnight of January 1st to midnight of December 31st. Please use this form to nominate an exemplary individual for the Fred L. Burns Service Award.
Nominees must be someone who has made a significant contribution to Chino Valley Fire in the area of furthering the District’s Mission Statement and/or who has made a significant contribution to the Chino Valley Community in the area of community service in support of Public Safety.
The Mission of the Chino Valley Fire District is to provide exceptional service and safeguard the community.
Fred L. Burns History
Fred L. Burns was born in 1920 in Durant, Oklahoma and dedicated his life to this Country and to his community.
He served as a United States Army Staff Sergeant where he was a paratrooper in World War II. He also served as a leader of a group of 22 men known as the Pathfinder Group, who fought in major battles including the invasion in Normandy on D Day in which he was one of six to survive from his group. He also fought the Battle of the Bulge and received two Purple Hearts, two Bronze Stars and four Battle Stars for his heroism.
Service to His Community
When Fred L. Burns returned from the U.S. Army and joined the Los Angeles Police Department as a Police Officer. He settled in Chino Hills in 1970 to ranch, raise livestock, ride horses and raise his four children and become involved in his community.
He was an active member of the Chino Valley community, shaping its growth throughout the years and serving on numerous boards and committees. He served on the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Advisory Board; as Program Director for the Southwest Hills Environmental and Planning Association; as Vice Chairman of the Citizen’s Advisory Committee for the Chino Institution for Women Prison; on the Chino Hills Municipal Advisory Council; as Commissioner on the County Service Area 48 Board, as Fire Commissioner for the Chino Rural Fire District, as Vice Chairman of the Chino Hills Incorporation Committee; and as a member of the Chino Hills Kiwanis.
Fred L. Burns served as an elected board member of the Chino Valley Fire District Board of Directors starting in 1990 until his death in 2000, with many accomplishments including the construction of Fire Stations 62 and 64 and increased paramedic services and staffing during his years of service with the Fire District.