One morning, Officer Robin Brachear of the Chatham, Illinois, Police Department responded to a report of a structure fire. Dispatch advised the entire home was in flames. 
  
Officer Brachear arrived on scene and immediately noticed smoke billowing out of the south window of the residence. He also saw a young boy, 2 to 3 years old, running toward the burning home. Quickly, Officer Brachear exited his squad car, picked up the child, and brought him over to the safety of a nearby neighbor who was standing outside watching the fire. 
  
After returning to the residence and entering through the front door, Officer Brachear saw smoke throughout that was so dark he could not see the ceiling. He also had difficulty breathing. Bending down and peering through the smoke, he could make out what appeared to be a person attempting to put the fire out. The individual was in obvious distress, and Officer Brachear yelled to them with no response.  
 
The officer ran out to his squad car to retrieve a fire extinguisher. He reentered the home and sprayed the flames as best he could. Then, Officer Brachear located the person in the residence and quickly escorted her outside to safety. 
 
Shortly thereafter, the Chatham Fire Department, of which Officer Brachear is a volunteer, arrived on scene and extinguished the blaze.