Article Summary
- Twenty individual firefighters and six units from across Illinois were awarded for acts of bravery and service in an annual ceremony on Tuesday.
- The event began with a memorial for a Chicago firefighter who died after sustaining injuries in a garage fire in 2025.
- Two firefighters from Chicago and Addison also received the Medal of Honor, the highest award given to a firefighter in the state.
This summary was written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story.
Dozens of firefighters from across Illinois were honored for acts of bravery and service in an annual ceremony in Springfield on Tuesday.
The honorees included Chicago Fire Department Captain David Meyer, who died from injuries sustained while battling a garage fire in April 2025. Meyer was remembered in a memorial service at the Illinois Fallen Firefighter Memorial on the state Capitol grounds.
“It’s my sincere honor to stand with you today as we remember your brothers and sisters who lost their lives in the line of duty,” state Attorney General Kwame Raoul said at the memorial. “May the valor and profound sacrifices shine as a legacy for future firefighters. Our prayers are with you for your strength and continued fortitude.”
Comptroller Susana Mendoza was unable to attend, but a spokesperson read her speech: “My heart is with the families and all the others who have lost loved ones in the line of duty. … You all carried the weight of this calling alongside them, and this memorial honors your sacrifice as well.”
“Let us all remember the countless ordinary moments through which he (Meyer) and others we have lost did extraordinary good,” Mendoza’s speech read.
The event continued at the Bank of Springfield Center, where firefighter and EMT Kevin McNicholas of the Chicago Fire Department and firefighter and paramedic Gino Casciola of the Addison Fire Protection District were awarded the Medal of Honor. The Medal of Honor is the highest award given to firefighters by the state, for an act of outstanding bravery beyond the call of duty under adverse conditions with extreme personal risk.
Three individuals — Normal Fire Department’s Lt. Matthew Hill and firefighter and paramedic Nathan Riordan, and Elmwood Park firefighter Derek DeRose — received the Medal of Valor for acts of heroism or bravery demonstrating dedication in the face of danger.
Thirteen individuals received the Firefighter Excellence Award for acts of service demonstrating excellence while on duty. These were Lt. Richard Kraus of the Alsip Fire Department; firefighter and paramedic Andrew Highbaugh of the Channahon Fire Protection District; Lts. Jason Irwin and Steve Koenig of the Chicago Heights Fire Department; firefighters Jeff Joncha, Kellen Kmiecik and Nick Mourning of the Elmwood Park Fire Department; Battalion Chief Dan Berta of the Joliet Fire Department; firefighters and paramedics Cody Boll and Chuck Crudele of the LaGrange Fire Department; Lt. and paramedic Mark Hogan of the Orland Park Fire Department; firefighter Austin Muench of the Springfield Fire Department; and Fire Chief Tyler Gee of the Washington Fire Department.
Six units of the Bolingbrook, LaGrange, Marion, Monmouth, River Grove and Springfield Fire Departments received Unit Citation awards for demonstrating excellence, teamwork and professionalism in service. And Captain Joshua Mifflin from the Springfield Fire Department received a certificate of recognition acknowledging dedication to the principles and traditions of fire service.
Nominations for the awards were reviewed and winners selected by the Firefighting Medal of Honor Committee.
The Illinois Fallen Firefighter Memorial was dedicated in 1999 and is maintained by the Firefighting Medal of Honor Committee and the Firefighter Memorial Foundation. Funding is provided by donations for memorial bricks that are placed in the memorial, and from the Illinois secretary of state through a license plate program that honors firefighters.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
