HR1374

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HOUSE RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of the 
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State of Illinois are pleased to congratulate Chief James D. 
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Spiegel on the occasion of his retirement after more than 28 
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years of placing himself in harms way for the safety of others; 
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and

 
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    WHEREAS, He was born in 1956 in Long Island, New York; he 
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graduated from Oceanside High School in 1974 and then from 
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Trinity College in Deerfield in 1978 with a BA in Sociology; 
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while attending Trinity College, he took part in St. Therese 
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Hospital's Emergency Medical Technician program and McHenry 
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Hospital's Paramedic program in 1976; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Upon graduation in May of 1978, he joined the 
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Countryside Fire Protection District as a 
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firefighter/paramedic; he became a full-time 
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firefighter/paramedic in July of 1979 and began attending the 
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University of Southern Illinois at Carbondale, completing his 
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BS in Fire Service Technology in 1982; and
 
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    WHEREAS, He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1984, Captain in 
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1986, Assistant Chief in 1988, Deputy Chief in 1992, and Chief 
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of the District in 2001; he became the second chief officer in 
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Illinois to be recognized as a Chief Fire Officer Designee 
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through the Center of Public Safety Excellence in 2002 and 
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attended the National Fire Academy's four year Chief Executive 
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Fire Officer program; and

 
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    WHEREAS, He led the Countryside Fire District through the 
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challenging fire accreditation program helping it become the 
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first accredited fire protection district in the USA in 1998; 
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he helped Countryside become the first ambulance provider in 
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Illinois to be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of 
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Ambulance Service in 1999; he also helped Countryside become 
 


 






HR1374
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one of only two agencies in the USA to hold both CFAI and CAAS 
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accreditations; in 2003, many of the programs that he led them 
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through were identified as best practices by the international 
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peer review team during re-accreditation; also during his time 
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as Chief, he helped expand and remodel fire stations, made the 
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fire trucks more efficient, enhanced the ambulance fleet, 
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improved the district's 911 service, and replaced the 
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district's aging aerial ladder; and

 
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    WHEREAS, During his time as Chief, he often worked in 
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conjunction with neighboring communities; working with other 
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fire chiefs, he helped develop Illinois' first fire based 
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wildland fire suppression team; in 2006, he was elected 
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President of the Lake County Fire Chiefs Association and also 
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Chairman of the Lake McHenry County Specialized Response Team; 
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he was the Mundelein Vernon Hills Rotary Club President in 
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2005/06, board member of the Central Lake County YMCA, and an 
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adjunct instructor with the College of Lake County instructing 
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fire service administrative courses; and

 
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    WHEREAS, He and his wife, Mary, are the proud parents of 
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Julia Rose, age 9, and Eileen Patricia, age 4; splitting time 
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between family activities and emergency responses has always 
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been a challenge and car seats were always a fixture in the 
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Chief's vehicle; therefore, be it

 
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    RESOLVED, BY THE  HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 
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NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that 
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we congratulate Chief James D. Spiegel on the occasion of his 
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retirement after over 28 years of protecting the public; and be 
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it further

 
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    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
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presented to him as an expression of our deep respect and 
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esteem and with best wishes for a relaxing retirement.