| Name: | Matt Mullins |
| Gender: | Male |
| Agency: | Plainfield Fire Protection District |
| Type of Firefighter: | Career |
| Rank: | Firefighter |
| Type of Duty: | Firefighting operations, Vehicle rescue |
| Type of Award: | Medal of Honor |
| Year of Award: | 2023 |
| Incident City: | Plainfield |
| Year of Incident: | 2021 |
| Incident Location Type: | Street/Road |
| Incident Attribute: | Traffic accidents |
Plainfield Fire Protection District firefighter Matt Mullins was awarded the Medal of Honor for his lifesaving actions during a car accident on New Year’s Eve.
Firefighter Mullins was going call-to-call on New Year’s Eve when the Plainfield Fire Protection District received a dispatch for a car accident with injuries, rollover, and possible fire. On their way to the accident, the firefighters got confirmation that the car had rolled down an embankment, was on fire, and that there was at least one or possibly two victims in the vehicle.
Upon arrival, Firefighter Mullins saw that the car was about 30 to 40 feet down the embankment, on its side, and on fire. The company’s Lieutenant, Lieutenant Murphy, got there first and was able to pull one of the victims out of the car almost immediately. Firefighter Mullins jumped off the rig with the fire hose and ran to the car to knock the fire down as much as possible before attempting to reach the victim still in the vehicle. Firefighter Mullins and Lieutenant Murphy noted that the victim was the driver, and that he was pinned between the ground and the car with his arm being outside of the driver’s window. Firefighter Mullins got spreaders to lift the car to maneuver the victim’s arm back into the car before attempting to pull him out through the sunroof. They noticed that the victim was still pinned at the waist and at this same time, Firefighter Mullins noticed that the fire was reigniting. To protect the victim, Firefighter Mullins wrapped his arms around him and pulled him as close to the sunroof to protect his airway and keep him away from the fire while other firefighters sprayed water directly over their heads. After putting out the fire again, they were able to open the vehicle to slide the victim out. Firefighter Mullins’ quick thinking and protection of the victim ultimately saved his life.
Citations:
2023 IL Fallen Firefighter Memorial And MOH Ceremony.
Vimeo, uploaded by Crowdson Creative Video, 11 May 2023, vimeo.com/825948365/5148b7d371.