06/02/2026
Today we pause to honor two of San
Francisco’s bravest - Lt. Vincent A. Perez and
FF/PM Anthony M. Valerio of Engine Company 26, who made the ultimate sacrifice on June 2-4, 2011.
Lt. Vincent “Creature Perez was a 21-year SFFD veteran, born and raised in Bernal Heights. A U.S. Marine, former Alameda County Sheriff’s Deputy, and one of the calmest, most trusted firefighters his crew had ever known. He joined the department on April 2, 1990, and earned every bit of the lieutenant’s badge he wore.
FF/PM Anthony “Tony” Valerio - “The People’s Paramedic” - brought 27 years of heart and hustle to the job. Raised across the world (Italy, Hawaii, South San Francisco), he was a surfer, scuba diver, world traveler, sourdough baker, and proud volunteer for the SFFD Toy Program-every single year.
On the morning of June 22011 both men entered a four-story home at 133 Berkeley Way in Diamond Heights as part of Engine Company 26. While searching for victims, a window failure below them triggered a sudden, catastrophic flashover. Lt. Perez was pronounced dead that afternoon. Tony fought for two more days. SFFD lost both of them - it’s the first double line-of-duty deaths in deaths in decades.
They ran toward the danger so others wouldn’t have to.
Rest easy
AnthonyValerio Engine 26
DiamondHeights FallenHeroes SanFrancisco
FireService 15 Years
