| Name: | Joshua Loudermilk |
| Gender: | Male |
| Agency: | Dwight Fire Department |
| Type of Firefighter: | Volunteer |
| Rank: | |
| Type of Duty: | Firefighting operations, Search and rescue operations |
| Type of Award: | Medal of Valor |
| Year of Award: | 1997 |
| Incident City: | Pontiac |
| Year of Incident: | 1996 |
| Incident Location Type: | Residential |
| Incident Attribute: | Fires |
Firefighter Joshua Loudermilk with the Dwight Fire Department was awarded the Medal of Valor for his actions to save two girls from a residential fire in Pontiac, Illinois on July 2, 1996.
Loudermilk was headed to work on the morning of July 2nd when he noticed the house on 716 W. Grant Ave. in flames. He promptly alerted the Dwight Police Department about the fire, who, in turn, contacted the Pontiac Fire Department. He then headed over to the scene. While there, he heard children screaming from inside the residence. The fire originated in the kitchen and spread to the living room, filling the house with smoke. Before crews from the Pontiac Fire Department had arrived, Loudermilk went to the back of the house and pulled the screen off the bedroom window, which was six feet above the ground, to help the children open it. They were subsequently pulled to safety and later treated for minor injuries.
Citations:Firefighter spots fire, saves kids: house burns in Pontiac,
The Pantagraph, July 3, 1996.
Heroes who saved lives honored,
The Pantagraph, August 6, 1996.