He saved a Santa Barbara kids camp from wildfire — now he’s a guest at State of the Union

A Santa Maria firefighter who helped rescue 62 children and camp staff from the Whittier fire last year will be an honored guest at the president’s State of the Union speech Tuesday.

David Dahlberg, a fire prevention technician with the U.S. Forest Service, is one of 11 people chosen to be President Donald Trump’s honored guest at his speech before Congress. According to an Associated Press report, many of the honorees were selected because they amplify the speech’s theme this year: “Building a safe, strong and proud America.”

Dahlberg was the first emergency responder on scene when the Whittier Fire threatened the Circle V Ranch Camp in rural Santa Barbara on July 8, and helped to rescue all of the camp-goers and staff trapped by the flames.

He is stationed out of the Santa Lucia Ranger District in Santa Maria.

This story was originally published January 29, 2018 at 4:38 PM with the headline "He saved a Santa Barbara kids camp from wildfire — now he’s a guest at State of the Union."