The bravery of first responders and other young heroes was on full display Wednesday as the Chicago Fire Department Foundation held an awards ceremony.
The youngest honoree in the group was 5-year-old Jayden Espinosa, whose heroism likely helped save the lives of at least a dozen people when he alerted them to a house fire in late July.
Espinosa received the Life Saving Award for his quick-thinking actions.
“I think it is awesome,” he said.
The boy was at a sleepover at a relative’s house when he awoke to the smell of smoke in the apartment. Thinking quickly, he woke up numerous people in the home, and a total of 13 people were able to escape thanks to his bravery.
“He went and got his auntie, uncle, and sisters up, and knocked on doors to get everyone else out of the building,” his father Kashmir said. “It’s nothing short of a miracle to me.”
Espinosa’s dream job, appropriately enough, is to become a firefighter, and his family pledged to help him make that dream become a reality.
