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20090227 PR - FIre Chief Jim Bodony retires after 35 years Contact: David Niemeyer Phone: (630) 368-5000 Fax: (630) 990-3000 1200 Oak Brook Drive Oak Brook, IL 60523 Village of Oak Brook Press Release Village of Oak Brook Fire Chief Retires Oak Brook, Illinois (February 27, 2009) – After more than 36 years of dedicated and distinguished service to the Village of Oak Brook, Fire Chief Jim Bodony will be leaving. Chief Bodony submitted his retirement as part of an early retirement incentive program offered by the Village of Oak Brook. His last day of service to the Village will be March 16th. After rising through the ranks during his career with the Oak Brook Fire Department, Jim Bodony was sworn in as Fire Chief in July of 2005. Chief began his career with the Oak Brook Fire Department on June 16, 1972. He came to Oak Brook following his discharge from the military, having served in the United States Air Force, assigned to the Air Force Firefighting School at Chanute Air Force Base, Rantoul Illinois as an instructor. He received his Associate Arts Degree in Fire Science from the College of DuPage on 1970, and his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Fire Service Management for Lewis University in June of 1975. He was appointed to the Lewis University Fire Science Advisory Board in 1976. He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in January of 1982. He was named Department Training Officer in May of 1991. His next promotion was to Captain in February of 1994 and to Battalion Chief in January of 2003. With a career spanning more that three and a half decades, he has seen the Department grow and expand in the level of service it provides to the community. He was one of the first firefighters to be trained as Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT’s) and assigned to the ambulance when the Department took over operation of the Village ambulance service in the mid 70’s. It had previously been done by the Police Department. He was in the first group of Illinois firefighters to train and become State Certified. He taught one of the first State Certification programs for Fire Apparatus Engineers, 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 along with 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 • Page 2 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. As a company officer and later Shift Commander, he served in every aspect of the Department operation including firefighting, auto extrication, emergency medical care, fire inspection, public education, training and administration. As Chief, he continued the Department mission of maintaining a highly trained staff delivering excellent service to the community on every call. He has served on the Executive Board of the DuPage County Fire Chief’s Association and on the Board of MABAS Division 12, part of the statewide 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. Chief Bodony 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. About the Village of Oak Brook: Founded in 1958, the Village of Oak Brook is located 20 miles west of downtown Chicago and is in proximity to the junction of Interstates 88, 294, and 290. The Village consists mostly of residential subdivisions, with the exception of the Oak Brook Center shopping mall, other retail and office properties along 22nd Street and Interstate 88, as well as some commercial properties along Ogden Avenue. Oak Brook is the home of many corporate offices, most notably, the world headquarters of McDonald’s Corporation and the service club organization Lions Clubs International.