May 07--SPRINGFIELD -- It was a grand day in the state capital for the Decatur Fire Department, Capt. Jeff Hott and his family.
Hott, a 25-year department veteran, was presented the Medal of Valor Award, "for an act of heroism or bravery that clearly demonstrated courage."
He was one of just 12 firefighters statewide to receive the award, and the first ever from Decatur.
"It's just humbling for me," said Hott, an expert in vertical and confined space rescues, who was honored for a rescue of a suicidal woman and police officer in frigid Stevens Creek one year ago.
"Just to be recognized was really fantastic for me. To get an award of that level, to be included with other firefighters and listen to their stories, it really got to me. It was a once-in-a-lifetime dream come true."
On April 24, 2013, Hott responded to an alarm about the suicidal woman, who was threatening to jump off a bridge into the creek, said the award recommendation, written by Deputy Fire Chief Jeff Abbott.
As Hott, working from Engine Company 5, just north of Brettwood Village, sped to the scene with other firefighters, a dispatcher said the woman jumped into the water. When firefighters arrived, they found a Decatur police vehicle was "parked on the bridge with no one around."
On a 42-degree day, with wind speed at 12 mph, the woman was swept downstream in the swollen creek.
"The woman was clinging to a downed tree branch about 15 feet out in the creek," Abbott wrote, adding the police officer was climbing on another branch toward the woman.
Hott advised the officer to secure himself with a rope to proceed. He did, but the branch gave out and he splashed into the water next to the woman, who was "incoherent" from being in the frigid water.
As firefighters pulled the officer out with the rope, Hott jumped in, secured webbing around her, and brought her close enough to shore for firefighters to pull her out with a pike pole, using the webbing.
"The water was much deeper than normal and moving fast, which made Capt. Hott's actions even more remarkable," Abbott wrote. "I believe Captain Hott's selfless act, given these conditions, is worthy of the state's highest honor. His actions saved not only the woman's, but quite possibly the Decatur police officer's life."
The state Firefighting Medal of Honor Committee chose to honor Hott with the Medal of Valor, one notch below the Medal of Honor, which was awarded to seven firefighters Tuesday.
In addition to the tremendous honor Hott received, the day was enhanced because it fell on the 80th birthday of his father. Both his parents, Tom and Lois Hott, were in attendance, as well as his wife, Rhonda, and 20-year-old daughter, Sarah.
The awards ceremony included the posting of colors by the Associated Firefighters Honor Guard, which included four members from Decatur: Lt. Justin Kraus, Gary Gundy, Jason Nolan and Tina German-Roberts.
Hott, a fire captain for seven years, began his rescue work with the Lake Patrol right after high school, joining the fire department after serving five summers on the lake, while attending Eastern Illinois University. He was inspired toward a firefighting career by the divers he worked with on Lake Decatur.
He discovered he had a knack for adventurous rescues, as he worked for a nationally renowned company on his off days from the fire department, which trained police and firefighters in extreme techniques, combining cutting edge rescue methods with SWAT techniques.
Some of the highlights of his career include working with the ESU Emergency Services Unit of the NYPD, teaching New York police officers how to perform vertical emergency rescues.
"We climbed the cables to the top of the support towers on the Brooklyn Bridge in the early 1990s, with the World Trade Center nearby," Hott recalled. " With the help of the National Park Service, we got to climb up to the top of the torch of the Statue of Liberty, which is closed off to the public."
Decatur Fire Chief Matt Sekosky said he is proud of the actions of Hott, who knows how to put a plan into action, such as the one that saved the life of the woman in the creek.
"He represents the kind of individual that all fireman would aspire to be," said Sekosky, adding that Hott has been a tremendous asset to the department. "He is a modest guy. He doesn't draw a lot of attention to himself, but he knows what he's doing.
"He is a great firefighter and officer and an expert in this field. The whole day today he carried himself well."
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