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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION | ||||||
| 2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
| 3 | Representatives wish to commend five firefighter-paramedics of | ||||||
| 4 | the Niles Fire Department who demonstrated extraordinary skill | ||||||
| 5 | and composure in the line of duty as first responders; and | ||||||
| 6 | WHEREAS, On September 19, 2025, the Niles Fire Department | ||||||
| 7 | responded to an emergency call regarding a 79-year-old | ||||||
| 8 | resident in cardiac arrest; and | ||||||
| 9 | WHEREAS, The individual in distress was identified as | ||||||
| 10 | Kevin O'Connor, a distinguished Vietnam War veteran and a | ||||||
| 11 | retired member of the Chicago Fire Department who dedicated | ||||||
| 12 | over 30 years of his life to the service of others; and | ||||||
| 13 | WHEREAS, Upon arriving at the scene, the emergency crew | ||||||
| 14 | from Station 3 immediately initiated lifesaving measures, | ||||||
| 15 | including CPR, and worked with clinical precision to stabilize | ||||||
| 16 | Kevin O'Connor before transporting him to Resurrection Medical | ||||||
| 17 | Center; and | ||||||
| 18 | WHEREAS, The responding team, comprised of Lieutenant Bill | ||||||
| 19 | White, Engineer Kevin Zender, Firefighter-Paramedic Darrion | ||||||
| 20 | Roszkowiak, Firefighter-Paramedic Michael Ries, and | ||||||
| 21 | Firefighter-Paramedic Karl Boubouleix, acted with the calm, | ||||||
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| 1 | decisive coordination necessary to overcome the 9% survival | ||||||
| 2 | rate typical of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests; and | ||||||
| 3 | WHEREAS, Kevin O'Connor, who remained on life support for | ||||||
| 4 | 11 hours following the incident, has since made a remarkable | ||||||
| 5 | recovery and credits these five individuals with his survival, | ||||||
| 6 | expressing that the Niles Fire Department kept him alive long | ||||||
| 7 | enough to receive proper hospital care, thereby saving his | ||||||
| 8 | life; and | ||||||
| 9 | WHEREAS, The professionalism and dedication displayed by | ||||||
| 10 | these five firefighter-paramedics exemplify the highest | ||||||
| 11 | standards of fire service and bring great credit to the Niles | ||||||
| 12 | Fire Department and the Village of Niles; therefore, be it | ||||||
| 13 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 14 | HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
| 15 | we commend Lieutenant Bill White, Engineer Kevin Zender, | ||||||
| 16 | Firefighter-Paramedic Darrion Roszkowiak, | ||||||
| 17 | Firefighter-Paramedic Michael Ries, and Firefighter-Paramedic | ||||||
| 18 | Karl Boubouleix of the Niles Fire Department for their | ||||||
| 19 | lifesaving actions on September 19, 2025, and we express our | ||||||
| 20 | deepest gratitude for their service; and be it further | ||||||
| 21 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | ||||||
| 22 | presented to Lieutenant Bill White, Engineer Kevin Zender, | ||||||
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| 1 | Firefighter-Paramedic Darrion Roszkowiak, | ||||||
| 2 | Firefighter-Paramedic Michael Ries, and Firefighter-Paramedic | ||||||
| 3 | Karl Boubouleix, and the Niles Fire Department as a symbol of | ||||||
| 4 | our esteem and respect. | ||||||