The Cary Fire Protection District is the first recipient of the Scene Call of the Year Award established by the Flight for Life aeromedical program, based at Northern Illinois Medical Center in McHenry.
Deputy Chief Arnie Downs and firefighters Paul DeRaedt, Mike Douglass, Jeff Lilly and Andy Veath were all recognized for their work on the March 19, 1994, emergency call from Cary.
“As a professional, it’s gratifying when the department is given this kind of recognition from its peers,” Lilly said.
Lilly and Douglass were the first on the scene of the accident that involved a car that crashed into a tree. The vehicle’s lone occupant, a 27-year-old male driver, was in critical condition. Within 26 minutes of emergency personnel’s arrival, the accident victim was taken by air transport to Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge where he underwent surgery, but eventually died.
