Danny Ainsworth receives President’s Award

On his way home after working a night shift last December, Danny Ainsworth, lead station operator at the Chevron Cogenerating Plant, noticed a bright glow under a car parked on the shoulder of the interstate.

Ainsworth pulled over and noticed the car was running and the driver was asleep at the wheel.

But there was a much bigger problem flaring up under the car.

The car’s exhaust system ignited the dry grass underneath the vehicle and a fire was spreading.

Ainsworth knocked on the car’s window several times and finally woke up the driver, who Danny instructed to pull ahead.

Once the vehicle moved forward, Ainsworth used a fire extinguisher to put out the fire.

At the Plant Daniel “Town Hall” meeting on May 9, CEO Ed Holland presented Ainsworth with a Silver President’s Award in recognition of acts to save a life or prevent injury where there may be danger but no risk to the individual’s own life.

“The first thing that caught my attention when reading the description of the event is that Danny just worked a night shift which means he was up all night and ready to go home,” Holland said. “This did not stop him from pulling over to investigate a situation that just didn’t seem right. Our safety culture teaches us to do the right thing and because of this, a potentially fatal situation was avoided.”

Danny Ainsworth is the 66th recipient of the President’s Award.