| Name: | Dennis Cooper |
| Gender: | Male |
| Agency: | Collinsville Fire Department |
| Type of Firefighter: | |
| Rank: | Firefighter |
| Type of Duty: | Search and rescue operations, Vehicle rescue |
| Type of Award: | Medal of Valor |
| Year of Award: | 2004 |
| Incident City: | Collinsville |
| Year of Incident: | 2004 |
| Incident Location Type: | Street/Road |
| Incident Attribute: | Fires, Traffic accidents |
Firefighter Dennis Cooper of the Collinsville Fire Department was awarded the Medal of Valor for his actions to save a young man from a burning vehicle in Collinsville, Illinois on January 14, 2004.
Around 4:00 A.M. near B.P. Hauling, Inc. at 1102 McDonough Lake Rd., a passenger car traveling at excessive speeds struck a culvert, flipped numerous times, and caught on fire. The driver—a twenty one year-old man from Glen Carbon—died instantly. There were three other teenaged passengers in the automobile. Two of the teenagers escaped the wreckage. One of them alerted a nearby resident to call 9-1-1.
Flames had fully engulfed the smashed vehicle by the time Collinsville firefighters arrived on the scene. One teenager remained trapped in the backseat of the burning automobile and he was crying for help. Firefighter Cooper and fellow Collinsville Firefighter Mike Harris rushed to pull him out of the inferno. Cooper initial attempts to pull the victim out of the car were difficult, as he was only able to move him about four inches. Still, Cooper persisted, eventually freeing his legs from the wreckage. In the process, Cooper suffered second-degree burns on his face.
Citations:Fiery crash kills man, injures teens—three passengers in car hospitalized
, The Belleville News-Democrat, January 15, 2004.
Firefighters say deeds behind awards were part of job
, The Belleville News-Democrat, May 13, 2004.