| Name: | Phillip Perkins |
| Gender: | Male |
| Agency: | Kankakee Fire Department |
| Type of Firefighter: | Career |
| Rank: | Captain |
| Type of Duty: | Water rescue operations |
| Type of Award: | Medal of Valor |
| Year of Award: | 2009 |
| Incident City: | Kankakee |
| Year of Incident: | 2007 |
| Incident Location Type: | Water/Waterfront |
| Incident Attribute: |
Captain Phillip Perkins of the Kankakee Fire Department was awarded the Medal of Valor for his efforts to rescue a drowning victim from the Kankakee River in Kankakee, Illinois on November 21, 2007.
That evening, the Kankakee Fire Department received a dispatch about a man stranded in the Kankakee River between 4th and 5th Ave. Firefighters were alerted that the victim was a suspected evading a DUI arrest who decided to take off on foot and headed into the frigid waters of the river. On the scene, Captain Perkins noticed the victim was starting to drown. He waded into the water, which was in the mid-40s Fahrenheit, then swam to the exhausted victim. As Perkins attempted to swim to shore, he also became exhausted. He received assistance from a fellow firefighter. The victim and Perkins were soon removed to safety.
Citation:
16th Annual Illinois Fallen Firefighter Memorial and Firefighter Medal of Honor Awards Ceremony, May 14, 2009 (video).