| Name: | John McAndrew |
| Gender: | Male |
| Agency: | Chicago Fire Department |
| Type of Firefighter: | Career |
| Rank: | Captain |
| Type of Duty: | Firefighting operations, Search and rescue operations |
| Type of Award: | Medal of Valor |
| Year of Award: | 2017 |
| Incident City: | Chicago |
| Year of Incident: | 2016 |
| Incident Location Type: | Residential |
| Incident Attribute: | Fires |
Chicago Fire Department Captain John McAndrew and Firefighter Edgar Gallo were awarded the Medal of Valor for their actions at a residential fire in Northwest Chicago in June of 2016.
Upon arriving on the scene, McAndrew noticed heavy smoke conditions and victims hanging out of the second-floor windows. McAndrew and Gallo placed a ladder, and McAndrew ordered the firefighters to begin bringing down the victims from the windows. Then McAndrew and Gallo began to search the building. They forced their way into the building and up the stairwell amidst low visibility and intense heat. Inside the apartment, they found an unconscious female victim in the bathtub with the water running. They carried her down to the sidewalk where they administered CPR. She initially had no pulse but was resuscitated.
Citations:
Evelyn Holmes, “First responders honored for heroic acts in line of duty,” ABC7 Chicago, October 10, 2017.
“2016 Valor Awards: $100 Winners,” Firehouse Magazine, October 1, 2017.