Lamp Incorporated Superintendent Recognized for Act of Heroism

West Dundee Fire Chief, Michael Spiro, Recognizes Lamp Incorporated Superintendent Chris Palmer with Lamplighter Award for Act of Heroism at Dundee Middle School

West Dundee, IL—On August 21, 2023, Chris Palmer, a Project Superintendent who’s been with the Elgin, IL-based construction management firm Lamp Incorporated since 2006, was presented with the Lamplighter Award by West Dundee Fire Chief Michael Spiro during the Village of West Dundee Regular Board meeting for his act of heroism during a fire-related incident at Dundee Middle School, West Dundee, IL on July 12, 2023.

As explained in Fire Chief Michael Spiro’s memo to the Village Board of the Village of West Dundee:

“On July 12, 2023, a fire broke out within the premises of Dundee Middle School due to a malfunction in a piece of electrical equipment. The situation escalated rapidly, and the potential for extensive damage was imminent. In the face of this emergency, Mr. Palmer was on site as part of a construction crew working in the facility. Despite being unrelated to the ongoing work, Mr. Palmer exhibited the extraordinary presence of mind and selflessness by immediately shutting off the malfunctioning equipment’s power supply.”

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Fire Chief Spiro’s full memo to the Village Board can be read by visiting WDundee.org and locating the Board Meeting Agenda for the Regular Meeting on Monday, August 21, 2023, at 7:30 PM.

As highlighted by Fire Chief Spiro, Mr. Palmer’s “quick thinking and courageous intervention…prevented the fire from spreading further,” allowing the firefighting team to “minimize potential hazards to [the] community,” ultimately ensuring a timely start of the 2023/24 school year at Dundee Middle School.

Left to Right: Ian Lamp, President; Chris Palmer, Proj. Superintendent; Steve Lamp, Secretary/Treasurer

West Dundee Village President Chris Nelson created the Lamplighter Award. The distinguished award typically recognizes Village employees who go above and beyond the call of duty bi-annually. Village employees or residents submit award nominations. Source: Sauder, E. (2016, January). Village gives fourth Lamplighter Award to West Dundee firefighter. Chicago Tribune. ChicagoTribune.com.

Although this award is typically reserved for Village employees, two exceptions were made on Monday, August 21, 2023, honoring two who are not Village employees—Mr. Frank Huerta, an employee of Bleu Root restaurant, and Mr. Chris Palmer. The full memos detailing both awards are in the abovementioned Board Meeting Agenda.

It’s Lamp Incorporated’s mission to “Provide Construction Services that Always Exceed Customer Expectations,” and Mr. Palmer’s selfless act of heroism is a perfect example of the level of service provided by Lamp Incorporated since Clifford Lamp started the company in 1933 (then known as Lamp Construction).

“We’re extremely proud of Chris and how he responded to the call of action,” said Ian Lamp, President of Lamp Incorporated. Mr. Lamp further explained that “we train our team to be safe and what to do in a time of need hoping the time never comes. The incident did arise, and the training Chris received allowed him to properly handle the situation to keep lives safe and to minimize damage to the building.”

Everyone at Lamp Incorporated is very proud of Mr. Palmer and grateful to West Dundee Fire Chief Spiro and the Village of West Dundee President and Board for taking the time to recognize Mr. Palmer’s efforts. At Lamp Incorporated, teamwork and communication are the foundation for success.

ABOUT LAMP INCORPORATED: Lamp Incorporated, founded in 1933 by Clifford Lamp (then known as Lamp Construction), is a third-generation family-owned and operated construction services company based in Elgin, IL. Lamp Incorporated serves public and commercial clients in education, health care, municipal, industrial, and religion, specializing in construction management, design/build, general construction, integrated project delivery, and project management.

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