| Name: | Thomas Garswick |
| Gender: | Male |
| Agency: | Chicago Fire Department |
| Type of Firefighter: | Career |
| Rank: | Firefighter |
| Type of Duty: | Search and rescue operations |
| Type of Award: | Medal of Honor |
| Year of Award: | 2007 |
| Incident City: | Chicago |
| Year of Incident: | 2006 |
| Incident Location Type: | Street/Road |
| Incident Attribute: |
Firefighter Thomas Garswick of the Chicago Fire Department’s Squad 5 was awarded the Medal of Honor for his efforts to rescue a male victim from a construction site accident in Chicago, Illinois on June 3, 2006.
The Chicago Fire Department received a call on the afternoon of June 3, 2006 to help a construction worker on the Dan Ryan Expressway near 47th St. who had fallen into a 45-foot deep manhole. Squad 5 arrived and did an initial assessment. After receiving support from the Collapse Rescue Units, Firefighter Garswick, using a safety harness, was lowered into the sewer that the victim had fallen into. He did an assessment of the victim to determine his condition and how to remove him from his precarious position. With his guidance, members of Squad 5 were able to stabilize him and lift him out of the sewer. Though in extreme pain, the construction worker managed to escape with only a broken leg.
Citations:
Journal of the Proceedings of the City Council of the City of Chicago, Illinois, July 26, 2006.
“Worker injured along Dan Ryan,” ABC7 News.com, June 3, 2006.