Vincit associate risks life to save Chicago neighbors, receives courage award
The Vincit Group, based in Chattanooga, Tenn., recently presented its own “Kapers Smith Courage Award” to one of its associates who ran into a burning home and risked his life to save his neighbors.
It was a frigid Friday night in Chicago less than three weeks before Christmas. Omar Margil was in his garage when his wife told him their neighbor’s house was on fire. While she called 911, he ran next door desperately trying to help in any way he could until the fire department arrived.
“There was smoke all over the place,” Omar said. “It was really dark. I could see nothing.”
After discovering the water hoses were frozen, Omar and his teenage son ran inside and rescued a man who had fallen on the stairs. They carried him out of the smoke and into their house next door. Omar ran back into the burning home and found a woman and her adult son unconscious on the floor upstairs where the fire started.
“I tried to drag them out, but I couldn’t breathe at all,” Omar said. “It just popped in my head that I should break a window and let the smoke out.”
He worked quickly to get them out of the smoke-filled house and onto the ground. He tried to perform CPR, but it was too late.
“It was a sad day,” Omar said. “I did my best.”
Dwayne Jones lost his father and his grandmother in the fire. Dwayne said the two of them were upstairs trying to put out the flames that started from a space heater. Dwayne’s uncle, who Omar saved, fell while running down the stairs to get a fire extinguisher.
“The trauma I saw on Omar’s face, I can’t even describe,” Dwayne said. “For a man to have his own family and to look out for someone else’s in a situation that doesn’t look safe to go in, that says a lot about Omar’s character.”
Omar is a shipping and receiving clerk at a Zeco warehouse in Chicago. Because of his heroic actions, Omar was presented with the Kapers Smith Courage Award. The award is named after Kapers Smith, a former Vincit Group associate, who saved a family from a house fire in Georgia. This award allows Vincit and its member companies, including Zeco, to recognize employees for their selfless actions of courage that benefit the preservation of human life.
Omar’s wife and three children joined him during the special award ceremony in Chicago on January 16, 2025. Omar’s son, who helped save Dwayne’s uncle, dreams of becoming a firefighter one day. A fire department lieutenant told Omar and his son what they did was heroic and as soon as his son turns 18, they have a place for him in their department.
Dwayne said he’s forever grateful to Omar who he calls a hero for saving his uncle and risking his own life to try to save his father and grandmother. Omar’s family has lived next to the Jones’ for about three years becoming friends instead of just neighbors. When Omar first met Dwayne, he told him how much Dwayne’s family meant to him.
“Omar said I like your family and I’m going to look out for them,” Dwayne said. “He stayed true to his word. He saved my uncle’s life, and he attempted to save my father’s and my grandmother’s lives. His efforts mean a lot to me.”
Omar personifies the Vincit Group’s core values of Integrity, Family, and Excellence. He treats and protects his coworkers, neighbors, and friends as if they were his own family. He believes strongly in helping others reach their full potential. These qualities and more make it clear why Omar Margil is beloved within the Vincit Family and his own community.
About Zeco
Zeco is a division of Zee Company, a privately-owned, ISO 9001-2015 certified chemical manufacturing and services company, that produces and distributes products nationally and brings with it more than 50 years of expertise in chemical blending, laboratory services, food safety and cleaning practices. Zee Company takes pride in providing clients with unparalleled service from knowledgeable and respected sanitation professionals