Hero school bus driver saves students from burning bus

[Omaha Steve]

OAPSE/AFSCME member Dorian Pace has the gratitude of his Cleveland-area community for saving school children from a burning school bus last month.

https://www.afscme.org/blog/hero-school-bus-driver-saves-students-from-burning-bus

By Anthony Caldwell · Wednesday, March 12, 2025

AFSCME members often put the lives of others above their own. That’s exactly what Ohio school bus driver Dorian Pace did when he saved the lives of 15 students first — and then his own — just moments before his bus was engulfed in flames on a cold February morning.

For the last 11 years, Pace has been a dedicated school bus driver for the Cleveland Heights-University Heights School District and a proud member of the Ohio Association of Public School Employees (OAPSE/AFSCME). Pace takes pride in being the first and last person his riders see every school day, but he knows his job is about more than just getting kids to school — it’s about ensuring their safety, day in and day out.

“I greet my students with a smile every morning,” Pace said. “Sometimes, a little kindness changes a child's whole day.”

That kindness quickly turned into courage when, on a routine morning route on Feb. 27, he noticed something was wrong. The bus wasn’t responding like it should. He radioed for help, but before the mechanics could reach him, disaster struck. He heard a loud boom, and as he looked in his mirrors, he noticed smoke coming from the rear of the bus, followed by billowing flames.

FULL story at link above.

[Walleye]

1. Thank the gods that there are still Americans like him who quietly do their jobs

And resist all the hatred that’s being thrown at them. I wish there were more like him.