Santa Cruz firefighter recognized for saving surfers off-duty

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION) A firefighter with the Central Fire Protection District got a letter of commendation Tuesday for saving a group of surfers when he was off-duty.

The fire district said Dustin Marty was driving on East Cliff Drive on Sept. 28 and saw a group of 10 surfers heading to the water. It said because of the weather conditions, Marty parked and put on his wetsuit to go check on them.

When Marty got there, he said they were all struggling in the water, so he got in and helped them to the beach one-by-one.

Firefighters were dispatched to the beach for a cliff rescue after the struggling surfers were reported, but when they got there, crews saw Marty helping them to the East Cliff Drive walkway.

The fire district said once the surfers were safe, one of them went up to Marty and said, "Thank you... you single-handledly saved 10 lives today."

The Central Fire District thanked Marty for his service, dedication and willingness to go beyond the call of duty.