| Name: | Joe Martinelli |
| Gender: | Male |
| Agency: | Chicago Fire Department |
| Type of Firefighter: | Career |
| Rank: | Firefighter |
| Type of Duty: | Firefighting operations, Search and rescue operations |
| Type of Award: | Medal of Honor |
| Year of Award: | 2010 |
| Incident City: | Chicago |
| Year of Incident: | 2009 |
| Incident Location Type: | Residential |
| Incident Attribute: | Fires |
Firefighter Joseph Martinelli with Squad 2 of the Chicago Fire Department was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions to rescue a man from an apartment fire in Chicago, Illinois on March 1, 2009.
Squad 2 responded to a fire at 8:00 p.m. at an apartment building on 3310 North Lawndale Avenue. Residents outside the building told the firefighters that a man who lived on the first floor was trapped inside. Firefighter Martinelli forced the door open and began searching for the victim with his partner Captain Pat Maloney. Martinelli proceeded through the apartment and met flames and thick black smoke. He found the victim lying on a bed.
As Martinelli picked up the victim and dragged him to the bedroom door, the room started to flash over. Deciding it would be too risky to exit through that door, he tried the bedroom window. He made a Mayday call, and learned that an air conditioner was blocking the window. As a result, he could not get the victim out through it. With few options remaining, he decided to drag the injured victim on the ground through the bedroom door. Martinelli braved intense flames as he exited the structure with the victim. Captain Maloney helped clear passage for the two. Martinelli suffered second-degree burns on his face in the process.
Citations:
”Firehouse Heroism & Community Service Awards.” Firehouse, April 2010.
”Grand Prize winner: Chicago Firefighter Joseph Martinelli.” Firehouse.com, April 1, 2010.