| Name: | Alejandro Mercado |
| Gender: | Male |
| Agency: | Chicago Fire Department |
| Type of Firefighter: | Career |
| Rank: | Firefighter |
| Type of Duty: | Firefighting operations, Search and rescue operations |
| Type of Award: | Medal of Valor |
| Year of Award: | 2007 |
| Incident City: | Chicago |
| Year of Incident: | 2006 |
| Incident Location Type: | Residential |
| Incident Attribute: | Fires |
Captain Daniel McDermott and Firefighter Alejandro Mercado of the Chicago Fire Department were awarded the Medal of Valor for their actions to rescue a woman from a residential fire in Chicago, Illinois on August 3, 2006.
Chicago firefighters responded to a fire alarm at the 1700 block of N. Nagle Avenue. When they arrived, fire was billowing out of the front windows of the residence. After having been alerted that a woman was possibly still inside the structure, Captain McDermott and Firefighter Mercado began a primary search of the premises. They made their way through the smoke-filled structure by crawling on their hands and knees. As they proceeded down the main hallway, Mercado searched a bedroom while McDermott entered a bathroom. In the bathroom, McDermott found a unconscious female victim on the floor. Together, McDermott and Mercado removed the woman from the burning structure. Once outside, they gave her oxygen and called for emergency medical assistance from the on scene ambulance.
Citation:Journal of the Proceedings of the City Council of the City of Chicago, Illinois, September 13, 2006.