HR0441 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0441 LRB095 12224 GRL 36590 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate James "Jay" Reardon on his retirement as Fire Chief of the Village of Northbrook on May 3, 2007; and

WHEREAS, James "Jay" Reardon has performed 40 years of dedicated fire service; his fire service career began in Evergreen Park; his career has taken him to Hoffman Estates, Cary, Portage, Michigan, Collier County, Florida, and Northbrook, where he has served as Fire Chief since June 1994; he concurrently served a total of 28 years with the Air Force Reserve, retiring in 2004 at the rank of Major; and

WHEREAS, James "Jay" Reardon's service in the Village of Northbrook includes numerous accomplishments; under his command, Northbrook's fire department received an Insurance Services Office Fire Department Class 2 Rating, making the fire department one of the top twenty best rated fire departments in Illinois; he secured grants to construct and equip a new regional emergency dispatch center; he was integral in the modernization and equipping of the fire department into a recognized state of the art operation; and he developed a highly competent and dedicated firefighting and professional staff second to none; and

WHEREAS, James "Jay" Reardon's personnel file in full of thank you notes, letters of appreciation, certificates of training, and correspondence from many grateful individuals, including the Governor of the State of Illinois and the President of the United States; he has touched the lives of many citizens in the Village of Northbrook while serving as fire chief; his endless enthusiasm and stellar work ethic have inspired many who have had the pleasure of working with him; and

WHEREAS, During his tenure with the Village of Northbrook, James "Jay" Reardon has served as President of the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System and President of the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association; he was appointed to the 2000 Blue Ribbon Panel for the Fire Service's Issues; he served on the Statewide Terrorism Preparedness Task Force; he chaired the Legislative Committee of the Northeast Illinois Public Safety Training Academy; in 2002 he was named "Illinois Fire Chief of the Year" and was named Fire Chiefs Magazine's International Career Fire Chief of the Year; in 2003 he was awarded the International Fire Chiefs prestigious Presidents Leadership Award from championing inter-state mutual aid initiatives; he has also tirelessly served on countless regional, State, and national committees and task forces for the betterment of the nation's fire services; and

WHEREAS, James "Jay" Reardon's background in Disaster Planning, Incident Management, and Recovery Operations has served him well as he led the mobilization and deployment of mutual aid forces responding to Chicago's LaSalle Bank building fire, Metra train crash, Utica tornado, and Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana; and

WHEREAS, Upon his retirement, James "Jay" Reardon will assume the duties as the Chief Executive Officer of the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System, where he will direct Statewide fire, EMS, and Special Operation team responses associated with large scale events and Declarations of Disaster; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate James "Jay" Reardon on his retirement, thank him for his service to the Village of Northbrook and the State of Illinois, and wish him continued success and happiness in the future; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to James "Jay" Reardon as a symbol of our esteem and respect.