Ramos, four other Sterling firefighters honored for their sacrifice, bravery in three fires

Brittney Ramos, widow of fallen Sterling firefighter Lt. Garrett Ramos, accepts the Line of Duty Death Gold Badge from State Fire Marshal Matt Perez at the 29th annual Fallen Firefighter Memorial and Medal of Honor Ceremony Tuesday, May 10, 2022, in Springfield. Ramos, 38, died Dec. 4 fighting a house fire in Rock Falls. He was the first firefighter in the Sterling Fire Department’s 150-year history to die in the line of duty.

The others were firefighter/paramedic Michael Pickering and firefighter MaShawn Plummer, both of the Chicago Fire Department, and firefighter Mehdi Mourad of the Wabash Fire Protection District, the state of Illinois said in a news release.

Ramos also was recognized for his efforts during the Civic Plaza 1 fire in March.

Ramos’ widow, Brittney Ramos, was presented with the Line of Duty Death Gold Badge by Fire Marshal Matt Perez.

Three Sterling firefighters – Lt. Adrian Avelar, Lucas Pfister, and Jeff Kimpel received the Medal of Valor award, given for “an act of heroism or bravery that clearly demonstrated courage and dedication in the face of danger while in the performance of duty” for their action during a Sept. 27 fire in the 1400 block of Johnson Avenue in which a 71-year-old man was killed and his wife seriously injured.

Medal of Valor honorees Sterling Fire Department Lt. Adrian Avelar (left), and firefighters Jeff Kimpel and Lucas Pfister, second from right and far right, with Urbana Fire Department Chief Demond Dade, a member of the Firefighting Medal of Honor Committee who presented their awards Tuesday, May 10, 2022, at the 29th annual Fallen Firefighter Memorial and Medal of Honor Ceremony in Springfield.

The man was trapped in the rear first-floor bedroom, but the three firefighters were able to reach and retrieve him before he was taken to CGH Medical Center. He later was taken to Loyola Hospital, where he died.

“They put themselves at great risk in making that rescue,” Fire Chief Mike Dettman said after the ceremony. “It was pretty gutsy stuff.”

In addition, Ramos and firefighter Nick Hammer received the Firefighter Excellence Award “for an act of service in the line of duty, demonstrating excellence and professionalism in service to their fellow Illinoisans,” in the Rock Falls Civic Plaza 1 fire that happened on March 5, the release said.

Sterling firefighter Nick Hammer.

A woman died and about 100 residents temporarily were displaced by the fire in the nine-story Whiteside County Housing Authority’ building, which houses many low-income elderly and disabled people, whom the firefighters also helped evacuate.

That award was based on Ramos and Hammer’s actions on the fifth floor, where the fire started that night.

“Operating as a team, they found three people wandering down the hallway, scooped them up and put them in a room, safe and out of harm’s way, until we could rescue them with a ladder truck,” Dettman said.

Also attending the ceremony was Sterling fire Deputy Chief Jason Williamson, Capt. Michael Mackey, firefighters Kurt Landis and Mike Liedberg, and Alderman Jim Wise.

State Rep. Tony McCombie, R-Savanna, also was in attendance.

Sterling firefighter Mike Mackey displays a tattoo in honor of fallen colleague Garrett Ramos who was killed in the December fighting a house fire in Rock Falls. The design is taken from Ramos' standard signature he would apply to notices at the station.

“This memorial is dedicated to the firefighters of Illinois, who have given their lives in the line of duty, and to those firefighters who heroically lead with courage, pride, and honor,” Gov. JB Pritzker said. “Michael, MaShawn, Medhi, and Garrett will live on in our memories, in the lives of those they’ve saved, and in the hearts of those they’ve touched. May their memories be a blessing.”

“Today at the Fallen Firefighter Memorial, we honored four of our bravest brothers who gave their lives in service to the people of Illinois,” Perez said. “We will be forever grateful for their courage and ultimate sacrifice in the performance of their duties. They put the lives of others ahead of their own, which is our highest calling.”

“As firefighters, our members took an oath to protect the citizens and property of the various communities across Illinois. Each one of us take that oath very seriously,” said Chuck Sullivan, president of Associated Fire Firefighters of Illinois.

”Today we honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. We will never ever forget them or their families. We also honor those whose actions went above and beyond the call of duty.

“While they will all say they were ‘just doing their job,’ we all know it takes courage, guts and determination to do this job. The Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois proudly stands with our brothers, sisters and their families on this day, and every day.”

The awards presented recognized heroic actions during 2021. Nominations were reviewed and winners selected by the Illinois Fire Fighting Medal of Honor Committee.

Garrett Ramos


Kathleen Schultz

Kathleen A. Schultz

Kathleen Schultz is a Sterling native with 40 years of reporting and editing experience in Arizona, California, Montana and Illinois.