| Name: | Daniel Mullaney |
| Gender: | Male |
| Agency: | Chicago Fire Department |
| Type of Firefighter: | Career |
| Rank: | Lieutenant |
| Type of Duty: | Firefighting operations, Search and rescue operations |
| Type of Award: | Medal of Honor |
| Year of Award: | 2005 |
| Incident City: | Chicago |
| Year of Incident: | 2003 |
| Incident Location Type: | Residential |
| Incident Attribute: | Fires |
Lieutenant Daniel Mullaney of the Chicago Fire Department’s Truck 15 was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions to save two girls from a burning apartment building in Chicago, Illinois on December 26, 2003.
Lieutenant Mullaney was in the process of refueling Truck 15 when he noticed smoke billowing out of an apartment building. On the scene, bystanders alerted the firefighters that children were trapped inside. He quickly grabbed his gear. Because the flames were getting worse, being exacerbated by a resident who broke out some of building’s windows, he did not have time to put on his boots.
He ran up to the second floor. He found an unconscious girl in the front bedroom. After he got hold of her, the room flashed over. Somehow he made it out of the room after an explosion, caused by the combination of heat and broken windows, knocked him to ground. He handed the young victim to a bystander. Without concern for his own safety, he went back upstairs to find the second victim. Luckily, he found her near her bed. As he crawled back out of the fiery apartment, Lieutenant Kevin Hicks helped Mullaney get the second young girl to safety. As a result of Mullaney’s courage, both girls were successfully resuscitated and were treated for second-degree burns.
Citations:
“Gov. Blagojevich honors fallen firefighter, recognizes 23 other firefighters for extraordinary acts of bravery,” Illinois Government News Network, May 12, 2005.
“House Resolution HR0421,” Illinois General Assembly, n.d.
“Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal,” The Gong, July-September, 2005.