| Name: | John Eachus |
| Gender: | Male |
| Agency: | Belleville Fire Department |
| Type of Firefighter: | Career |
| Rank: | Engineer |
| Type of Duty: | Firefighting operations, Search and rescue operations |
| Type of Award: | Medal of Valor |
| Year of Award: | 2023 |
| Incident City: | Belleville |
| Year of Incident: | 2022 |
| Incident Location Type: | Residential |
| Incident Attribute: | Fires |
Belleville Fire Department Engineer John Eachus was awarded the Medal of Valor for his life-saving acts while fighting a heavily involved residential fire.
On the night of November 11, 2022, the Belleville Fire Department was called to a single-family residential fire with reports of possible victims on the first floor. Firefighter Eachus was the acting Captain of Ladder 49 and upon arrival immediately recognized the heavy smoke conditions. Ladder 49’s primary tasks were venting and search operations. Knowing that they had limited time to get anyone out, Firefighter Eachus removed a front window and entered to perform a quick search for victims. He first found the unconscious family dog, who he quickly handed off to the crew outside. With such heavy smoke, the visibility on the first floor became zero. In an attempt to locate any residents, Firefighter Eachus sprawled out to perform a large sweep of the room. Using this method, he was able to locate an unconscious resident who he and his team were able to remove to safety.
Citations:
2023 IL Fallen Firefighter Memorial And MOH Ceremony.
Vimeo, uploaded by Crowdson Creative Video, 11 May 2023, vimeo.com/825948365/5148b7d371.