OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
CITY OF CHICAGO
RAHM EMANUEL
MAYOR
December 10, 2014
TO THE HONORABLE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I transmit herewith a congratulatory resolution concerning the Chicago Fire Department. Your favorable consideration of this resolution will be appreciated.
Mayor
Very truly yours,
DECEMBER 10, 2014
H resolution
adopted by The Gity Qouncil
ofthe Qity of Qkicago, Illinois
JJresented by MAYOR RAHM EMANUEL Qn
^QhcVGCtS . In the early morning of October 28, 2014, companies of the Chicago Fire Department's 18th Battalion responded to a fire at 8128 South Vincennes Avenue, a two and one-half story frame residence; and
WHEREAS. Arriving on the scene, these Fire Department companies saw a building totally engulfed in flames and learned that a woman was trapped in the basement apartment; and
WHEREAS, Engine 122, under the command of Lieutenant/EMT Terrence Hardaman, led out a hose line to begin extinguishing the fire; and
WHEREAS, Truck 20 then arrived, under the command of Lieutenant/EMT Mark Mielnicki, and by order of Chief Timothy Corcoran of the 18,h Battalion, immediately began coordinating with Engine 122 to search for the woman trapped in the basement; and
WHEREAS, Firefighter/EMT Kevin Corley and Firefighter/EMT Antonio Artis, both of Truck 20, ran toward the house, where they then encountered a chained, padlocked fence, which had to be cut before they could proceed. Working in near-total darkness, Firefighters Corley and Artis made their way through a maze of bushes and automobile parts, only to encounter a second fence. After getting through that obstacle, they then had to navigate a narrow pathway that led to the basement window. Once at the house, they discovered that the basement window was boarded over; and
WHEREAS, After gaining entry to the house, these two determined firefighters soon discovered they were in a storage area with personal items stacked from floor to ceiling. Continuing their search, Firefighter Corley and Firefighter Artis ran into two dead ends before making verbal contact with the victim. They determined that she was trapped on the other side of an interior wall; and
WHEREAS, After quickly assessing their limited options, Firefighters Corley and Artis broke through the top portion of the wall and rescued the victim. They exited the house from a different side than the one they entered and again encountered a fence, which they had to break through in order to get the woman to safety, all under the supervision of Lieutenant Mielnicki. Thanks to the quick, decisive actions of these firefighters, she sustained only minor smoke inhalation; and
WHEREAS, Had it not been for the fortitude and quick thinking of these two fine City of Chicago firefighters, the situation would surely have turned deadly. All the more remarkable is that these two exceptional firefighters have been in the field for only a relatively short period of time. Their sterling performance is a testament to the training and teamwork of the Chicago Fire Department; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and Members of the City Council of the City of Chicago, assembled this tenth day of December, 2014, do hereby honor Firefighter/EMT Kevin Corley and Firefighter/EMT Antonio Artis for their bravery in rescuing a fire victim from almost certain death; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED. That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to these members of the Chicago Fire Department, and placed on permanent record in their personnel files, as a token of our gratitude and esteem.