IFLODD: Firefighter Memorial


Firefighter Record

Firefighter Details

Name Gary Michalek
Agency Pleasantview Fire Protection District
Rank Firefighter
Type of Firefighter Paid-On-Call (POC)
Age Range 21 to 25
Sex Male
Date of Birth 0/0/0
Date of Death 10/26/1981
Cause of Death Caught/Trapped , Contact/Exposure
Nature of Death Asphyxiation
Attribute of Death Smoke inhalation
Type of Duty Firefighting operations , SCBA operations

Incident Details

Incident Name N/A
Incident City Countryside
Incident State IL
Incident Date 10/26/1981 4:58
Incident Location Public assembly
Incident Attribute Structural collapses , Fires

Incident Summary

On October 26, 1981, Firefighters Jerome Srejma and Gary Michalek of the Pleasantview Fire Protection District died in the line of duty while fighting a fire at the Key West Restaurant in Countryside, Illinois. Srejma, a six year veteran firefighter, and Michalek, who had been with the department for less than one year, were paid-on-call volunteers on duty when the alarm came in, and were among the first firefighters to arrive on-scene.

Srejma and Michalek entered the restaurant wearing SCBA masks shortly before 5 AM in an effort to locate and extinguish the fire, which was mainly burning behind the walls and above the ceilings. They became disoriented in the dense smoke and were unable to find their way out of the restaurant before running out of air. Even after they were reported missing, it took fellow firefighters nearly thirty minutes to locate their bodies in the thick smoke. The collapse of the restaurant’s roof further complicated rescue efforts and sent two other firefighters to the hospital with injuries. Srejma and Michalek were rushed to Community Memorial General Hospital in LaGrange, where they were pronounced dead.

In the end, it took firefighters from nearly ten different communities more than three hours to extinguish the 3-11 alarm fire. Four days after the fire, Srejma and Michalek were remembered during separate funeral services that were attended by hundreds of firefighters from throughout the Chicagoland area.


Firefighter and Incident Images

Firefighter and Incident Audio

No Audio for this Firefighter/Incident record

Navigation