Aurora firefighters and police officers were honored Wednesday night by the Exchange Club of Aurora and presented Firefighter and Police Officer of the Year awards.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, multiple years of recipients were recognized at the banquet.
The 2021 Firefighter of the Year was awarded to Matt Acuff and Captain Glen Hasenheyer for removing a victim from the second floor during a large fire in the first floor walls of a single-family home on June 26. Under high heat and heavy smoke conditions, the firefighters removed the victim from the window, Deputy Chief David McCabe said.
While the victim did not survive, McCabe said the firefighters job is to “give every person the best chance of survival. Truck 2 members did just that.”
The award winners are chosen after the Exchange Club solicits nominations from the fire department for firefighters who demonstrated exemplary service during the previous year.
Acuff said that, while he was honored to receive the award, ultimately “it’s our job and it’s what we took an oath to do.”
Other nominations included Lt. David Heinke and Private Bob Dunn for their work of the Aurora Fire Department Honor Guard, where they are seen at almost all events the guard is requested, like city parades, ceremonies and funerals, and they are not compensated for their time, McCabe said.
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Capt. Corey Fryer, Senior Medic Robert Strange, Bob Dunn, Chris Davison, Michael Wicklund were also nominated for helping a woman who jumped into the Fox River around 9 p.m. Feb. 26. The woman was threatening to jump off the walking bridge at River Street and Sard Avenue, and divers prepared to jump in. Crews walked through snow and determined a game plan at the shoreline. After a lengthy standoff, the woman jumped 25 to 30 feet into the frigid water and Davison was able to reach her and assist her to land despite her struggles to be let go.
The 2020 Firefighter of the Year winners involved a group who rescued a 15-year-old girl who was trapped inside a basement. 911 Operator Barbara Mitchell, Battalion Chief Jason Demas, Battalion Chief Randy Leek, Capt. Chuck Niemeier, Capt. Steve Buono, Lt. Mike Kaufman, Firefighters Daniel Darce, Kevin Molitor, Aaron Stawikowski, Lucas Hanson, Zach Knasko and Mark Bachleda and Paramedics Anthony Farinella and Kevin Hoffman were named. The 15-year-old has made a full recovery, according to officials.
The 2019 Aurora Police Officer of the Year was awarded to Officers William Whitfield and Steven Pacenti for helping apprehend four people who were involved in a shooting earlier that night. On May 9, 2019, at 12:49 a.m., officers responded to South Spencer Street for a 23-year-old man bleeding from multiple gunshot wounds on the front porch of a home. The victim was pronounced dead shortly after being taken to a local hospital.
Witnesses provided officers a description of the suspect’s vehicle and around 1:42 a.m., Whitfield and Pacenti observed a car that matched the description while they were patrolling. As the two vehicles passed each other, the van began to flee. Whitfield began pursuing the vehicle at a high speed as they moved several miles into Montgomery until the van rolled over. Both officers quickly exited the car and chased the suspects, arresting three of the suspects before coordinating the fourth’s arrest.
“The vehicle pursuit occurred during a heavy rainstorm when the roadway conditions were saturated and less than optimal,” Aurora Police Chief Keith Cross said. “Officer Whitfield operated the patrol car quickly and safely after only patrolling for three months at the time. Officer Pacenti was able to provide effective radio communication, resulting in a coordinated response by other officers.”
Other 2019 nominations included Officer Jason Woosley for performing a traffic stop on a known gang member and after searching the vehicle, he saw a gun on the driver’s seat in February 2019. Cross said thanks to Woosley’s knowledge of active gang members operating in known problems, he was able to remove a gun off the streets. Officer Daniel Wagner was also nominated for saving an infant that was choking and turning blue, performing first aid until the airway was cleared in October 2019.
The 2020 Aurora Police Officer of the Year was awarded to Officer Julio Avila, Officer Joel Clausing, Officer Cory McCue and Officer Matthew Meyers for protecting a young mother and her children from a man with a knife.
Around 4:02 a.m. on Indian Trail, Clausing responded to a domestic battery call and was completing his report while additional officers checked the area for the offender. McCue was flagged down by the victim, standing at her apartment window, crying, frightened and holding her infant child with two other children at her side, Cross said. McCue learned the offender returned to the apartment, made verbal threats toward the victim and had gone to obtain a knife. Officers were notified and McCue entered the apartment through the ground floor window as the victim and one child exited the apartment.
McCue stood between the remaining children and the offender, who was holding a large knife. Clausing and Meyers also stood near the victim.
The offender made several threats to kill himself and the officers and yelled for officers to shoot him. Officers were able to control his attention, and when the opportunity presented, they were able to taser him.
“Once the offender was taken into custody, the officers treated them with compassion and received apologies from the offender, who was in obvious emotional distress,” Cross said. “These officers displayed patience and professionalism.”
Clausing said the award highlights the amount of training they’d received and how up-to-date the department’s technology is.
“Usually when a guy has a knife and starts taking steps toward you, they will get shot, but thankfully with our training, we knew to have distance,” Clausing said. “We had shields. We used our taser, and we have been trained pretty well on how to use them.”
Other 2020 nominations included Officers Jay Ellis and Bradley Vonhoff for pursuing a vehicle of gang members fleeing a shooting on the Near East Side of Aurora on Feb. 19, 2020. Officer Willie Baker and Officer Daniel Torres were also nominated for saving an impaired driver after he crashed into a tree and his car caught on fire on Sept. 8, 2020.