IMHO the word hero is thrown around too loosely these days. Not everyone who simply does his job (answering the call of duty, so to speak) is a hero. To me, a hero is someone who goes above and beyond the call of duty. Answering a call and waiting 60 minutes for SWAT backup may be technically fulfilling the call of duty. Going into the unknown and taking fire alone is above and beyond. This guy is a hero to me.