On September 29, 1970, Chicago Fire Department Firefighter James Pratt of Truck 12 died in the line of duty after suffering a heart attack during a residential fire on W. Washburne Avenue. Pratt was using a power saw to cut a ventilation hole in the building when he complained of chest pains and collapsed. He had just rescued an elderly woman trapped by the fire by carrying her down a ladder from a second-story apartment. 

He is survived by his wife and two children.