Peoria, IL (August 28, 2023) – The Peoria Fire Department has been selected for the Vision 20/20 Onsite Community Risk Reduction (CRR) Project. Peoria Fire Department will receive training, coaching and technical assistance to develop a comprehensive Community Risk Assessment and associated Community Risk Reduction Plan for their community. The organization will also receive other material support from Vision 2020 and our partners, Inspection Reports Online.net and Virtual CRR, along with 2 registrations to join 400 of their fire service peers at Vision 20/20’s Model Performance in Community Risk Reduction Symposium in February of 2024.
The Peoria Fire Department was selected from over 100 fire departments from across the nation that applied for the project. Peoria is a city of over 110,000 people and the 8th most populous city in Illinois. Peoria is a diverse city with a rich culture and is home to a number of museums, theaters, festivals and events. Major businesses include Caterpillar, multiple hospitals including OSF St. Francis Medical Center and its affiliates and healthcare facilities, and Bradley University. The Peoria Fire Department is a professional fire department that provides fire suppression, rescue, emergency medical services, and hazardous materials mitigation to the city. The department has over 180 commissioned suppression personnel and 12 fire stations, responding to over 20,000 incidents per year.
The selection process focused on a wide variety of factors that included incident volume, current CRR programs and more importantly to show a desire and need to build and execute a solid risk reduction plan for the community. Stephen Hrustich, Project Manager for Vision 20/20 said, “We are truly excited to work with Peoria Fire Department on this onsite project that focuses on building their Community Risk Assessment and a viable CRR Plan for the organization. Through this onsite project, Vision 20/20’s goals are not only to work with Peoria Fire Department, but also capture this journey through video and interviews with key stakeholders that provide in-depth detail into the process and accentuate the challenges which will help fire departments across the nation to navigate the CRR journey successfully”.
When contacted following the selection process, Peoria Fire Chief Shawn Sollberger commented that “Community Risk Reduction (CRR) is not always a glamorous task within the fire service and does not get the attention it truly deserves. CRR is the single most important task we can embrace that positively impacts an event before it actually happens.” Division Chief of Fire Prevention, Nathaniel Rice added “The Peoria Fire Department is extremely grateful to be selected for the Vision 20/20 Onsite Community Risk Reduction Project. We are excited to undertake such a rewarding process and look forward to developing new and innovative processes to enhance our community risk reduction efforts for our city.”
