| Name: | Edward Kemper |
| Gender: | Male |
| Agency: | Palatine Fire Department |
| Type of Firefighter: | |
| Rank: | Firefighter |
| Type of Duty: | Emergency medical care, Vehicle rescue |
| Type of Award: | Medal of Honor |
| Year of Award: | 1996 |
| Incident City: | Fox River Grove |
| Year of Incident: | 1995 |
| Incident Location Type: | Street/Road |
| Incident Attribute: | Traffic accidents |
Firefighter Brendan Keady of the Mt. Prospect Fire Department and Firefighter Edward Kemper of the Palatine Fire Department were awarded the Medal of Honor for their efforts to rescue students from a fatal school bus and train collision in Fox River Grove, Illinois on October 25, 1995.
Firefighter Kemper was off-duty, refueling his automobile when he witnessed a train collide into the rear-end of a school bus. Kemper, who was on disability leave because of an injured ankle, hurried inside the bus, disregarding his own safety, as there remained the possibility of a gas tank explosion. Kemper attended to as many victims as he could before emergency personnel arrived.
While he was tending to some of the victims, Firefighter Keady, who was on his way to work, assisted Kemper treating the victims. He assisted Kemper by removing victims from the bus as emergency help arrived.
The accident resulted in the deaths of seven students. The efforts of Kemper and Keady undoubtedly kept the number from rising any higher.
Citations:
“Cary man receives award for heroism,” Cary Grove Countryside, May 30, 1996.
“Firefighter is honored for train-crash help,” Chicago Tribune, December 12, 1995.
“Governor honors Fox River Grove emergency responders,” Illinois Department of Public Health, January 31, 1996.
1995 Fox River Grove bus-train collision, Wikipedia.
“2 earn Firefighters’ Medal of Honor for actions in bus-train crash,” Daily Herald, May 17, 1996.