Officers lauded for bravery during fire

Vernon Hills Police officers Ken Maier, Jon Paret and Bob Lonergan are not new to police work, serving 48 combined years to the department.

But Deputy Chief Bill Price said it was their diligence in helping two men escape a home engulfed in flames that led the department to award them Lifesaving Awards.

The men received the awards at the village's December board meeting.

Maier was the first to respond to a house fire Dec. 12 at 69 Monterey. Upon arrival, he found an elderly man hanging out a back window as the second floor was engulfed in flames.

Maier was injured when the ladder he held for a firefighter from the Countryside Fire Department to rescue the man broke and struck his knee. Maier obtained a second ladder so the firefighter could continue with the rescue.

Officers Paret and Lonergan ran to the front door and made contact with a second man on the first floor who said he was unable to move. The officers entered the house and were able to pull him to safety.

While assisting the resident, Paret received burns on his lower back when melting aluminum siding from the house dripped down his back and caught his uniform on fire.

Price said one-eighth of Paret's shirt melted off his back. Thankfully, he was wearing a bullet-proof vest that protected his upper back.

Lonergan was hospitalized due to smoke inhalation and exposure to the elements. The officer had switched duty to help direct traffic, still wet from having been drenched by water used to fight the fire.

"Without telling anyone, he was soaked head to toe in the 25-degree night," he said.

Through the rescue, all three officers were injured but refused initial medical assistance and continued to help until the critically injured elderly man was treated.

Paret and Lonergan were later transported to the hospital.

After an incident like this, Price said their first concern is the health and safety of people, including their own.

Second is to make sure their peers are aware of the work done by these officers. Paret and Lonergan have served 17 years with Vernon Hills, and Maier 14 years. But Price said these guys hustled to a call just as fast as someone 17 months on the job would do.

"We're very proud of the type of work these veteran officers do," he said.

While saving lives is a daily part of the officer's job, Price said awarding the Lifesaver Award is not something that is given often.

"I've been here 26 years. I don't think I've seen 10 of these," he said. "It's significant."