The American Red Cross of Chicago & Northern Illinois is honoring a local firefighter, Dan Ramos of Chicago, as the Firefighter Hero at the organization’s 17th Annual Heroes Breakfast. The event will be held on Wednesday, May 1 from 7:30-9:30 a.m. at the Hilton Chicago, 720 S. Michigan Ave. For more information please call 312.729.6178 or go to website: redcross.org/heroes.
On a December morning in 2018, Dan Ramos responded to a fire with reports of trapped individuals. As soon as he arrived, the firefighter took to his duty of search and rescue in the rear of the building. Dan attempted to open the back door but was met by resistance, with several locks and objects obstructing the door. Finally, Dan got the door open enough to see inside and observed a woman lying on the ground and having difficulty breathing. Seeing the victim had no time to spare, Ramos made the decision to carefully maneuver past the door into the smoke-filled room with nearly zero visibility and intense heat to reach the victim and pull her to safety. Thanks to Ramos’ courage and quick actions, the woman was treated by paramedics and recovered.
“It’s a privilege for the American Red Cross to honor heroes in our community. People like Dan Ramos risk their lives every day for their fellow man,” said Celena Roldán, chief executive officer of the American Red Cross of Chicago & Northern Illinois.
Additional honorees were selected in 11 community service categories. Heroes were chosen by an independent committee of leaders in the business and civic community. For the complete list of 2019 Heroes, visit redcross.org/heroes.
The 2019 Heroes Breakfast is made possible thanks to the generosity of our sponsors including: Walgreens, ITW, Kirkland & Ellis, Northern Trust and United Airlines.
About the American Red Cross of Chicago & Northern Illinois:
The American Red Cross of Chicago & Northern Illinois serves 9.5 million people in 21 counties, including Boone, Bureau, Carroll, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Jo Daviess, LaSalle, Lake, Lee, McHenry, Ogle, Putnam, Stephenson, Whiteside, Will and Winnebago. The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit us at redcross.org/il/chicago or visit us on Twitter @ChicagoRedCross.