| Name: | James Jablonowski |
| Gender: | Male |
| Agency: | Chicago Fire Department |
| Type of Firefighter: | Career |
| Rank: | Battalion Chief |
| Type of Duty: | Water rescue operations |
| Type of Award: | Medal of Valor |
| Year of Award: | 2016 |
| Incident City: | Chicago |
| Year of Incident: | 2015 |
| Incident Location Type: | Water/Waterfront |
| Incident Attribute: |
Battalion Chief James Jablonowski of the Chicago Fire Department’s 2nd Battalion received the Medal of Valor for his actions to rescue a teenager that fell 15 to 20 feet into the Chicago River on August 8, 2015.
A young female teenager tripped and fell into the depths of the Chicago River very early in the morning of August 8, 2015. Chief Jablonowski was socializing with friends in a remote industrial area when the incident occurred. He responded to a 911 dispatch call of a person in the water just south of downtown Chicago. Since he was nearby, Jablonowski was the first on the scene and he donned personal protection gear and entered the river’s edge. The murkiness of the water and low lighting made visibility difficult. Jablonowski was able to make eye contact with the victim and swim towards her. He nearly made physical contact before she was submerged under the water’s surface, though he was able to secure her using the water rescue recovery mode and swim her back to shore. Chief Jablonowski then used rescue ropes to place a handcuff knot on the victim, which allowed her to be raised from the river and turned over to paramedics.
Citations:FDIC Meet the 2016 Ray Downey Courage & Valor Award Nominees,
FDIC International, March 2016.