| Name: | Amy Grissom |
| Gender: | Female |
| Agency: | Naperville Fire Department |
| Type of Firefighter: | |
| Rank: | Firefighter |
| Type of Duty: | Search and rescue operations, Vehicle rescue |
| Type of Award: | Medal of Honor |
| Year of Award: | 2000 |
| Incident City: | Downers Grove |
| Year of Incident: | 1999 |
| Incident Location Type: | Street/Road |
| Incident Attribute: | Fires, Traffic accidents |
Firefighter Amy Grissom of the Naperville Fire Department was awarded the Medal of Honor for her actions to rescue a man from a burning automobile in Downers Grove, Illinois on August 2, 1999.
Firefighter Grissom was off-duty, driving on I-355 near the I-88 on-ramp, with her nine-year-old daughter and four-year-old son, when she observed an automobile colliding head-on into a wall. The car flipped and subsequently caught on fire. After telling her children to stay in their seats, she rushed to the wrecked automobile to pull the unconscious driver, who was not wearing a seat belt, out of the passenger’s side as flames quickly engulfed the vehicle. Downers Grove firefighters subsequently arrived on the scene, extinguished the fire, and took the victim to the hospital to treat his injuries.
Citations:
”Fanning the flames.” Sun Publications, September 15, 2000.
”Firefighters’ heroics don’t end with shift: Naperville to honor off-duty actions.” Daily Herald, January 19, 2000.
”Heroes on every corner.” Sun Publications, January 23, 2000.
”Naperville firefighter received state’s highest award – Grissom’s Medal of Honor the first for city.” Daily Herald, May 24, 2000.