HR0146 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0146 LRB096 11784 GRL 22574 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate Oak Brook Fire Department Chief Jim Bodony on the occasion of his retirement on March 13, 2009; and

WHEREAS, Chief Jim Bodony received his associate's degree in Fire Science from the College of DuPage in 1970 and his bachelor's degree in Fire Service Management from Lewis University in June of 1975; he was appointed to the Lewis University Fire Science Advisory Board in 1976; and

WHEREAS, Chief Jim Bodony began his career with the Oak Brook Fire Department on June 16, 1972; he went to Oak Brook following his discharge from the military, having served in the United States Air Force, where he was assigned to the Air Force Firefighting School at Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul; and

WHEREAS, Chief Jim Bodony was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in January of 1982; he was named Department Training Officer in May of 1991; he was then promoted to Captain in February of 1994 and to Battalion Chief in January of 2003; he was named Chief of the Department in July of 2005; and

WHEREAS, Chief Jim Bodony has seen the Department grow and expand in the level of service it provides to the community during his more than three and a half decade career; during the early 1970s, the Department consisted of a small group of career firefighters supplemented by a sizable group of volunteers, many of whom were Franciscan Brothers from the St. Pascal Friary; he, along with other members of the Department, built fire trucks for the Department out of a used oil tank truck and a used Public Works pickup truck; and

WHEREAS, Chief Jim Bodony was one of the first firefighters to be trained as Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) and was assigned to the ambulance when the Department took over operation of the Village ambulance service, a service previously done by the Police Department; he was in the first group of Illinois firefighters to train and become State Certified and taught one of the first State Certification programs for Fire Apparatus Engineers, which was conducted in Oak Brook; throughout his career, he has been instrumental in the Department's Training program, teaching many classes and drills, mentoring new firefighters, and teaching classes around the State; he initiated and supervised the installation of a Village-wide Emergency Vehicle Traffic Signal Pre-emption system at all traffic signals in Oak Brook; he was tasked with authoring the first written disaster plan for the Village and developed the first box card system for the Department to provide for an orderly method of securing mutual aid from neighboring fire departments; and

WHEREAS, As a company officer and later Shift Commander, Chief Jim Bodony served in every aspect of the Department's operations, including firefighting, auto extrication, emergency medical care, fire inspection, public education, training and administration; as Chief, he continued the Department's mission of maintaining a highly trained staff delivering excellent service to the community on every call; and

WHEREAS, Chief Jim Bodony has served on the Executive Board of the DuPage County Fire Chief's Association and the Board of MABAS Division 12, a part of the State-wide fire mutual aid organization; he is a member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, The Illinois Fire Chiefs Association, and the DuPage County Fire Chiefs Association; he is also an active member of the Glen Ellyn Volunteer Fire Company in his home town of Glen Ellyn, where he resides with his wife, Lynne; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Jim Bodony on the occasion of his retirement and wish him many happy and healthy retirement years; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Jim Bodony as a symbol of our esteem and respect.