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HOUSE RESOLUTION


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

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

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

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

 
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    WHEREAS, Chief Jim Bodony has seen the Department grow and 
 


 






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

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


 






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

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

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

 
 


 






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