| Name: | Joseph Ostrander |
| Gender: | Male |
| Agency: | Tri-State Fire Protection District |
| Type of Firefighter: | |
| Rank: | Firefighter |
| Type of Duty: | Water rescue operations |
| Type of Award: | Medal of Valor |
| Year of Award: | 2002 |
| Incident City: | Darien |
| Year of Incident: | 2001 |
| Incident Location Type: | Water/Waterfront |
| Incident Attribute: |
Firefighters Jeffrey Kier and Joseph Ostrander, Jr. of the Tri-State Fire Protection District were awarded the Medal of Valor for their actions to rescue three boaters from the Des Plaines River near Darien, Illinois on October 13, 2001.
At seven in the evening, the Tri-State Fire Protection District received a called about a capsized boat on the Des Plaines River. A rescue team, consisting of Firefighters Kier and Ostrander, were sent out in a raft to find the victims. When they arrived at the boat, two victims were clinging onto it, while one was still floating in the water. It had been raining hard all day, which resulted in a few failed attempts at rescuing the victims. However, the third attempt was successful. Kier and Ostrander’s raft was pulled to shore by a back-up team. Once ashore, all three victims were treated for hypothermia and subsequently released.
Citation:
“Illinois Honors Her Own,” The Gong, July-September, 2002.