Rescuing babies from burning buildings, assisting at car accidents while off duty and helping quell riots are all in a day’s work for Naperville’s firefighter paramedics.
Although the first responders insist it’s just part of their job, it’s clear the winners of this year’s CAPS Awards, presented Thursday night at Meson Sabika, are greatly appreciated by those they helped.
Firefighter/Paramedic Scott Jackson was nominated for helping save the lives of two young children during a fire Aug. 26 at TownePlace Suites in Naperville. An air conditioning unit in a second-floor hallway had caught fire, trapping a young mother and her small kids in their hotel room.
“She had two infants and people started shouting at her to throw the baby out of the window and she panicked,” said Jackson, a firefighter with more than 30 years’ experience.
“She broke the window and I went up ladder and mom handed me out her 2-year-old and an infant,” he said. “The children were crying. I didn’t have time to put my gear on but while I was rescuing them, other firefighters put out the fire. It was all over in about five minutes.”
Jackson added that rescues like this are far less common than they used to be thanks to better building codes and fire prevention practices.
“It’s humbling to receive an award, but I was just doing my job,” he said. “Anyone would have done the same.”
When off-duty Firefighter/Paramedic David Hillis was driving on Route 2 between Byron and Oregon, the last thing he expected was a crash scene in which people needed to be rescued.
“As I crested the top of the hill, I saw a school bus in a ditch and another one backing up,” said Hillis, a firefighter for 20 years. “Because the local fire department was there to help, I thought I would just go around them, but then I saw a collision between two cars in the middle of the highway which the buses had obviously swerved to avoid.”
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He stopped to help the car passengers, one of who was critically injured. In all, four adults and three children ended up going to the hospital.
“I am very honored,” he said of the award, for which he was nominated by his captain.
Not all CAPS (Citizens Appreciate Public Safety) recipients receive awards for specific events. Many are recognized for years of daily good work.
Capt. Stephen Shink was nominated for his work heading the fire department’s relatively new Tactical Emergency Medical Services team. As its first leader, he helped implement operational procedures assisting the Naperville Police Department SWAT team.
“We can get into hot zones an ambulance can’t necessarily get into straight away,” said Shink, who joined the department 22 years ago. “For example, we helped the Black Lives Matter riots in Aurora and Naperville. In Aurora, we were deployed in an armored vehicle pushing people to certain locations to bring things to a close. In Naperville, we assisted with stab wound patients.
“It’s absolutely an honor to be nominated (and) really cool that I was nominated by a peer, not a superior, I believe,” he said.
Firefighter/Paramedic Daryl MacDonald is the Exchange Club of Naperville’s firefighter of the year. His CAPS Award recognizes his passion for promoting fire safety and first aid in schools and through adult classes.
“It’s nice to be recognized. I’ve always liked public education,” said MacDonald, who carries out his role in addition to regular duties. “I don’t do it for the awards. I do it because I live in Naperville, my kids are at school here and so it’s important for me that people know how to save a life. We’re trying to stop any dramatic stories.”
Naperville’s Fire Department Water Rescue Team has been led for nearly 10 years by another CAPS Award recipient, Firefighter/Paramedic Charles Gros.
“I’m very proud of my work because usually the departments are led by officers and I’m not one,” he said. “I was the assistant leader and took over when my predecessor retired. It’s really a big honor. When I applied, the administrators agreed my certifications meant I would be the best suited for the job.”
A specialist diver, Gros’ team consists of 30 firefighters and six police officers, some of whom are trained to dive in all conditions, even dark and ice. They mostly save people who find themselves in dangerous situations in the DuPage River or retention ponds.
Gros is also the squad officer for the State of Illinois Urban Rescue team, which assists in major floods across the country.
“It’s very challenging. It tears at your heartstrings because you’re helping individuals who have lost everything, but you get to go home,” he said.
Firefighters also recognize the need to look after the mental wellbeing of their own. Lt. Tammey Morris received her award because of her dedication to supporting the mental health of her brothers and sisters.
Morris is the coordinator of the Significant Incident Advocate Committee, which she helped develop. It’s a role she takes on in addition to the regular duties she’s performed for 27 years.
“I think there has always been general help available but there has always been a stigma,” she said. “We are seeing an increase in the numbers of firefighters who commit suicide. Nationally we are losing more of them to suicide than in the line of duty. Usually the reason is a combination of stress over time with a straw that breaks the camel’s back.”
Morris says the job of her committee is to encourage firefighters not to bottle up their feelings.
“Sometimes it’s about understanding how the mind and body reacts, other times it’s just lending an ear,” she said.
Hilary Decent is a freelance journalist who moved to Naperville from England in 2007.