DOG HEAD HEROICS

He saved ranch from 2016 Dog Head blaze

Eagle Scout gets one of scouting’s top honors for his help during fire.

Almost a year after the Dog Head Fire, Eagle Scout Matthew Lindeman recently was awarded one of scouting’s highest honors for his responsiveness and assistance he gave to his family and neighbors.

At a surprise ceremony that Lindeman believed was just to talk about how scouting had helped him respond to the fire that threatened his family’s ranch and neighbors, the 17-year-old was presented with a certificate of recognition for achieving the Boy Scout’s Medal of Merit on May 24 in Edgewood.

His father, Jim Lindeman, said Boy Scouts of America only gives out about 10 Medal of Merit awards to Scouts each year.

“This is an extraordinary honor,” he said.

When the Dog Head Fire started June 14, 2016, the Lindeman’s Mosca Peak Ranch was in its path as it headed northwest. Lindeman’s father was on a business trip in Texas at the time, so Matthew and his mother focused on protecting the ranch’s livestock, animals and pets.

His mother, Amy Lindeman, said she looked to her son to lead as “first among equals.”

Matthew Lindeman leaned on his scouting leadership training to create contingency plans for evacuating people and animals. To protect the ranch’s structures, he mowed down a bunch of grass, cleared wood and soaked the barn with water as the sky darkened with smoke from the approaching fire.

Livestock and animals were consolidated so they could be easily taken to safety, if need be. He also packed for an evacuation, but when the order came two days later, they were allowed to stay because of how defensible the property had been made through Matthew’s efforts.

“We are lucky to have you as a son,” Amy Lindeman told him at the ceremony.

The fire at one point came close to the main ranch, but a shift in the wind spared the property and structures.

“The whole time, it didn’t seem real,” Matthew Lindeman said. “The fire stopped within a hundred yards of our property.”

Like many living near the scorched mountains, flooding from rain after the fire has been a problem.

Living in the mountains, Lindeman said he always has been very careful about fires, but the Dog Head Fire taught him to be even more prepared for fire.

As for getting the award, he was genuinely surprised.

“I just thought we were just going to talk about lessons from the fire,” he said.

TODD DICKSON/MOUNTAIN VIEW TELEGRAPH Matthew Lindeman has his Medal of Merit pinned onto his Boy Scout uniform by his mother, Amy Lindeman, in recognition of his efforts to protect the family ranch, animals and property during last year’s Dog Head Fire.