| Name: | Matthew Fliege |
| Gender: | Male |
| Agency: | Havana Fire Department |
| Type of Firefighter: | Volunteer |
| Rank: | Firefighter |
| Type of Duty: | Firefighting operations, Search and rescue operations |
| Type of Award: | Medal of Valor |
| Year of Award: | 2003 |
| Incident City: | Havana |
| Year of Incident: | 2002 |
| Incident Location Type: | Residential |
| Incident Attribute: | Fires |
Firefighters Toby Stout and Matthew Fliege of the Havana Fire Department were awarded the Medal of Valor for their efforts to save an elderly married couple from a house fire in Havana, Illinois on March 6, 2002.
Fliege and Stout were the first two firefighters on the scene of a residential fire at 300 E. Mound St. A neighbor had called 9-1-1 and reported hearing cries for help coming from the residence. The fire, which was started when a lit cigarette was discarded into a small wastebasket, quickly increased in intensity. Fliege and Stout broke out a bedroom window and entered the residence in an attempt to locate possible victims. Once inside, their thermal-imaging equipment malfunctioned, making it nearly impossible for them to navigate through the thick, dark smoke. Fliege found the female victim and pulled her down a hallway where Stout pulled her from the house. Fliege then proceeded to put out the fire with a hose stretched to the front door of the residence. Stout then re-entered the home and rescued the male victim, who he found in the kitchen.
Citations:Day of honor / Illinois firefighters receive awards for their bravery,
The State Journal-Register, May 10, 2003.
Havana firefighters to be honored,
Pekin Daily Times, April 25, 2003.
Havana firefighters to get medals – Fliege, Stout receiving Medals of Valor from State Fire Marshal,
The Peoria Journal Star, April 16, 2003.