Joan Buzzard Receives State Award

(2014 ILLINOIS FIRE CHIEFS ASSOCIATION ADMINISTRATIVE PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR JOAN BUZZARD IS FLANKED BY EFFINGHAM FIRE CHIEF JOE HOLOMY AND EFFINGHAM CITY ADMINISTRATOR JIM ARNDT)

Local resident Joan Buzzard has received the 2014 Illinois Fire Chiefs Association Administrative Professional of the Year Award.

Buzzard, who works for the Effingham Fire Department, received the honor this week at a gathering in Oak Brook. She was one of five people nominated for the statewide award. The other four nominees are from the Chicago area. 300 people were on hand for the event at which Buzzard was honored.

Effingham Fire Chief Joe Holomy termed Buzzard "a huge team player and a dedicated employee." Buzzard works as Holomy's executive secretary, and began her duties 18 years ago as Secretary to Fire Chief Nick Althoff.

The award is based on four criteria: work experience, education, involvement in fire service, and community activities.

Her duties include processing invoices, confidential record-keeping for the fire department, document publication, and working with the training office to make sure firefighters are in compliance. She handles all computer work, the fire department budget, and technical projects.

Buzzard also works with MABAS District 54, the association of fire departments for this region. She researches meeting minutes for MABAS and for the fire department in Effingham, works on the Facebook pages for both MABAS and the local department, works with City EMA Coordinator Kim Tegeler, and is the Fire Department historian.

As far as professional education, Buzzard holds 11 various certificates in national incident management. She also was a member of the Illinois Fire Administrative Professionals Board from 2007 to 2010, and then served as President of the Association in 2011.

She also operated the City Storm Shelter last winter at the Effingham Performance Center, and has assisted the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association with grant writing and notary public services.