Richard Jaehne, Director for the Illinois Fire Service Institute (IFSI) has been recognized by the University of Illinois for his work in public engagement. Jaehne received the Campus Award for Excellence in Public Engagement (CAEPC) award during a reception on the Urbana campus March 13th. The CAEPC award recognizes those faculty members, academic professionals and students who engage the public to address critical societal issues. Jaehne was among four who received the recognition this year.
“This award, while it has my name on it, really belongs to those within the Fire Service Institute. I learned long ago that Leaders receive awards for the achievements of those within the organization, and for the challenges and opportunities that the people we serve entrust us with, this has never been more true than at IFSI,” Jaehne said. “When I came here in 1997, my vision was to serve the training needs of every fire department in the state. We are well on our way to accomplishing this. We have also become an integral part of the Illinois Terrorism Task Force and to helping make Illinois a model for preparedness training, post 9/11/2001.”
Since Jaehne joined IFSI, the number of student enrollments and public contacts has increased more than 200 percent, from 16,840 students in 1998 to 52,379 in FY 2010. He has also led initiatives to engage University departments for research, and engagement with several organizations in China and India. Under Jaehne’s leadership, the Learning Resource and Research Center was dedicated to bring the Institute’s library and research efforts under one roof.
Richard Jaehne announced earlier this year that he will retire in August 2012. A nationwide search for his replacement is underway.
The Illinois Fire Service Institute is the statutory State Fire Academy for Illinois. In addition to training provided at the Champaign campus, the Institute offers one-day hands-on classes for fire departments at Regional Training Centers and local fire stations in over 300 locations across the State annually, DHS grant-approved technical rescue, HAZMAT and NIMS training, hands-on fire officer training, online classes and operates a special state library dedicated to support fire and emergency services statewide. The mission of the Illinois Fire Service Institute is to help firefighters do their work through training, education, information and research.
For more information about the Institute, call 217-333-8921.
