Daniel C. Wagner

Daniel C. Wagner rescued a woman from drowning, Elgin, Illinois, June 17, 2022. A distressed, semi-conscious woman, 27, struggled to remain afloat in water 7 feet deep about 150 feet from both banks of the Fox River. Wagner, 51, fire department battalion chief, was on duty and patrolling nearby when he was alerted that the woman was struggling to stay afloat. Once he arrived at the scene, Wagner observed local emergency personnel attempting to throw a rope to the woman, but she was too far from the bank. Wagner noticed the woman bobbing in the water repeatedly, then submerged and remained underwater for about 30 seconds. Aware that a rescue diver and other units were at least three minutes away, Wagner transferred command of the scene to a firefighter on scene before removing his shoes and entering the water fully clothed. He waded about 40 feet toward the woman then swam about 110 feet to reach her, wrapping his right arm around her waist, then swam her back another 110 feet with the current to wadable water. Once he reached wadable water, Wagner picked the woman up and carried her the remaining 40 feet to the river bank, where emergency personnel received her. The woman was then transported to a local hospital. Wagner suffered no ill effects.