[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Page 20125]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       REMEMBERING DANIEL CAPUANO

  Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, it is with a heavy heart that I rise 
today to speak about the loss of one of the bravest men in the Chicago 
Fire Department, Daniel Capuano.
  Daniel went to work this morning--just as he has done every day for 
the past 15 years--ready to fight fires and risk his life to save the 
lives of others. Not many people can say they wake up each day ready to 
make that sacrifice, but this morning, Daniel Capuano did just that.
  At 2:40 a.m. today, Daniel Capuano and his fellow firefighters were 
contacted about a warehouse fire in the 9200 block of South Baltimore 
Avenue on the South Side of Chicago. Daniel and the other firefighters 
were immediately dispatched to the scene. The warehouse was undergoing 
construction, and because of that, there were reports of holes in the 
floors. When they got there, they saw billowing smoke coming out of the 
vacant three-story warehouse. Firefighter Capuano and his team moved 
cautiously through the second floor of the warehouse in search of the 
cause of the fire, but the heavy, thick smoke made it nearly impossible 
to see, causing Capuano to fall through an elevator shaft from the 
second floor of the building to the basement. His fellow firefighters 
were able to find him quickly and get him on an ambulance and to a 
nearby hospital. Sadly, it was too late. By the time he arrived at the 
hospital, he was already in serious condition. At 4:25 a.m. this 
morning, Daniel Capuano was pronounced dead from trauma.
  It is times like these when we are reminded of just how dangerous the 
job these men and women face every day really is. Daniel Capuano spent 
his entire career putting the safety of his community before his own. 
For 15 years he served the Chicago Fire Department fighting and 
eliminating fires while pulling others to safety. Before that, he was a 
firefighter in Evergreen Park, a Chicago suburb.
  Daniel Capuano is a true hero who made the ultimate sacrifice to make 
the residents of his community and neighborhood safe. Daniel's death is 
a devastating loss and serves as a reminder of the risk our 
firefighters and other first responders take every day. My condolences 
and prayers are with his wife Julie; his three children, Nicholas, 
Andrew, and Amanda; and his fellow firefighters.
  Daniel, you are a hero to me and to the people of Chicago and 
Illinois. There are no words to truly describe the sorrow for your 
loss. I cannot, nor can anyone, thank you for the commitment you made 
for the safety of the people in your community.

                          ____________________