Undercover Fireman Infiltrates Three-Alarm Blaze

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Undercover Fireman Infiltrates Three-Alarm Blaze

MAY 12, 2008

CHICAGO-Plainclothes firefighter Rick Dodd, 32, was commended Tuesday for

his successful month long operation to infiltrate and eventually expose a

three-alarm blaze at a downtown Chicago warehouse. " The fire had spread to

the upstairs by the time I arrived, so I cozied up to it, played the game,

and tried not to arouse any suspicion until I had gathered the information I

needed to bring back to the chief, " said Dodd, adding that his cover was

nearly blown a week into the investigation when a neighbor arrived and began

throwing buckets of water onto the porch. " When things started to get too

hot for me in there, I showed my badge, drew my concealed fire extinguisher,

and called in for backup. " Dodd was last honored in 2005 after completing a

two-week stakeout of a kitten stuck in a tree, though the animal died of

dehydration