| Name: | Robert Hoff |
| Gender: | Male |
| Agency: | Chicago Fire Department |
| Type of Firefighter: | Career |
| Rank: | Battalion Chief |
| Type of Duty: | Firefighting operations, Search and rescue operations |
| Type of Award: | Medal of Honor |
| Year of Award: | 1999 |
| Incident City: | Chicago |
| Year of Incident: | 1997 |
| Incident Location Type: | Residential |
| Incident Attribute: | Fires |
Battalion Chief Robert Hoff of the Chicago Fire Department’s 18th Battalion received the Medal of Honor for his actions to rescue two twin four-year-old boys from an apartment fire in Chicago, Illinois on November 23, 1997.
Hoff was heading back to his station after tending to an earlier fire when he received a call reporting flames shooting out of a two-and-a-half story apartment building at 1320 W. 50th St. in Chicago, Illinois. He was only four blocks away. Moments later, on the scene, he was alerted by a distraught neighbor that there were two young boys trapped on the second floor of the building. Hoff decided that, for the safety of the boys and at the expense of his own, waiting for backup was not an option.
The apartment was filled with black smoke. The twins’ bedroom was across the hall from the kitchen, which is where the fire originated. Hoff, who was not wearing any gloves, lowered himself to the floor and, with the help of his flashlight, felt his way through the darkness until he found stacks of clothing and a comforter. The two boys were hiding behind and under them. He carried one of the boys by his belt, the other under his arm, and quickly exited the smoldering building. Once outside, fellow firefighters on the scene performed CPR on the twins.
Citations:Fire hero does it again – braves flames to carry twins from S. Side flat,
Chicago Sun-Times, November 24, 1997.
Fire hero honored again for saving two boys,
Chicago Sun-Times, October 7, 1998.
Firehouse Heroism & Community Service Awards,
Firehouse, April, 1999.