SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — Governor JB Pritzker has declared the week of January 20, 2025, through January 26, 2025, as Community Risk Reduction (CRR) Week in Illinois.
CRR is a data-driven approach that identifies and prioritizes local risks. It involves the integrated and strategic investment of resources for emergency response and prevention to reduce the likelihood and impact of these risks.
“Illinois continues to be a leader in CRR thanks to the amazing work being done by fire departments across the state and our CRR taskforce,” said Illinois State Fire Marshal James A. Rivera.
Rivera continues, “The OSFM is committed to funding and supporting CRR work across the state, and we plan to continue to help build these programs which in the end will lead to safer communities across the state. I encourage communities of all sizes to learn about and engage in the CRR process, it can start with something small which can build into bigger programs in the future.”
According to crrweek.org, every 23 seconds, a fire department in the United States responds to a fire somewhere in the nation. In 2023, 79% of all fire deaths occurred in the home and home fires were responsible for 13,350 civilian injures, causing an estimated $23.2 billion in property damage.
Crrweek.org also verifies that EMS calls account for approximately 70% of the reasons fire departments respond across Illinois. Nationally, the fire service is increasingly responding to medical calls, with some communities reporting that these calls make up over 80% of their total call volume.
The goal of CRR Week is to raise awareness among the fire service that implementing CRR concepts will make communities and departments safer.
Pritzker's Office indicates that the concept of CRR week originated with individuals from various fire departments across the country. The focus of the week will be on the five "E's" of CRR: Education, Engineering, Enforcement, Economic Incentives, and Emergency Response.
Any fire department or community, whether large or small, rural or urban, paid or volunteer, can utilize CRR concepts to identify risks within their communities and begin planning to mitigate those risks.
The CRR process began in the state of Illinois in late 2019 and continues to grow through outreach efforts of the State of Illinois Community Risk Reduction Task Force and its members.
To learn more about the task force and find CRR resources to help get a CRR program started in your community, visit illinoiscrr.com or follow on facebook at @IllinoisCRR.
Governor JB Pritzker’s Proclamation is attached.
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