jH resolution
adopted by Tllg Qltlj GoUHCll
of** Gity of Qkicago, Illinois
presented by MAYOR RAHM EMANUEL Qn JANUARY 15, 2014
eteClS • °n tne afternoon of June 24, 2013, the Chicago Fire Department received an urgent call for assistance regarding a fire in the 2400 block of South Central Park Avenue; and
WHEREAS, The fire began in a four-story apartment building and spread rapidly, endangering the lives of all of its occupants; and
WHEREAS, The fire spread so quickly that some residents did not have time to escape, became trapped, and stood in windows desperately awaiting rescue; and
WHEREAS, Truck 48 and Engine 38, first on the scene, found the fire burning intensely on the third and fourth floors, where three women were trapped, and one was preparing to jump from a window; and
WHEREAS, Firefighters from Truck 48 immediately raised a ladder to the window. Lieutenant Maurice W. Demus, Firefighter Edward Fern, and Firefighter/EMT Christopher R. Skanes deftly ascended the ladder, then Lieutenant Demus and Firefighter Fern climbed into the apartment; and
WHEREAS, The three firefighters then carefully helped the woman who was on the window ledge onto the ladder, and Firefighter/EMT Skanes brought her down to safety; and
WHEREAS, Firefighter/EMT Skanes then ascended the ladder again, climbed through the window into the burning building, and rejoined Lieutenant Demus and Firefighter Fern, helping them lead two more victims through the building to safety; and
WHEREAS, The three women and a child suffering from athsma, along with a firefighter who injured his hand, were taken to hospitals for treatment in the aftermath of this conflagration, and all are expected to recover completely; and
WHEREAS, Thanks to the determined efforts of the other firefighters on the scene, the fire, which was so ferocious that it burned through the roof, was brought under control, and it is expected that the building can be saved; and
WHEREAS, The scene of a fire is oft...
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