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Belvidere honors police and firefighters with life‑saving, valor awards
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Summary
Belvidere presented life‑saving and valor awards April 13 to police and fire personnel who coordinated a March 7 apartment rescue that saved an unconscious resident; officials credited rapid police entry, evacuation and interagency teamwork.
Belvidere Mayor Clinton Morris and city officials on April 13 honored police officers and firefighters for their response to an apartment fire on March 7 that resulted in a life saved.
Deputy Chief Byrd recounted that responding officers spotted heavy smoke, forced entry and shifted to life‑safety operations, evacuating the building and securing the scene while coordinating with firefighters. Fire crews located an unresponsive resident and transported the person to St. Anthony Medical Center in Rockford for treatment, Byrd said.
"This is exactly what interagency teamwork should look like," Deputy Chief Byrd said, praising quick coordination and decisive actions that he said prevented a larger tragedy.
Fire Chief Schadl told the council the rescue reflected "incredible, professional" work from both departments and named four recipients of valor awards and seven recipients of life‑saving citations, calling the effort a model of public safety collaboration.
Mayor Clinton Morris presented the honors and thanked families and first responders for their service. Council members and department leaders noted the event underscored the city’s long‑standing emphasis on coordinated police–fire response.
The mayor and chiefs said the citations will be placed in the officers’ personnel records and that the departments will continue joint training and cross‑coordination to maintain response readiness.
