Streator Fire Department Honored as a 2021 Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador of Excellence!

For the fifth year, NOAA and the National Weather Service are proud to recognize “Ambassadors of Excellence” -- a select number of WRN Ambassador organizations that have made significant contributions to building a Weather-Ready Nation. By serving as change agents and leaders in their communities, Ambassadors of Excellence have:

Inspired others to take action and become ready, responsive, and resilient
Created innovative ways to engage their community, their workforce, and/or their social network
Formed unique collaborations with NOAA and/or other ambassador organizations to achieve goals they alone could not meet
Embraced building “a Weather-Ready Nation for All” by addressing vulnerable populations’ needs.

This year, NWS Chicago recognizes the Streator, IL Fire Department. The department takes significant steps to engage the citizens of the community in an effort to spread the message on all types of preparedness. This includes collaborating with the American Red Cross to ensure that residents have working smoke alarms in their homes. By going door to door, the department is able to not only check and install smoke detectors, but also to discuss weather related safety and answer weather preparedness questions. Department members provide information regarding weather radios, discuss safe areas in the home, remind residents that sirens are meant for those outdoors, and emphasize the importance of weather awareness. Since the inception of this program, fire department members have visited over 3500 homes! The COVID-19 pandemic has brought adjustments to the program, with personnel meeting residents outside of their home or the fire station. A newly completed training room at the fire station will also host community weather preparedness events in the future. The department also helps to keep citizens apprised of upcoming weather hazards via their social media channels with the community also offering an opt-in alert notification service providing residents an additional way to receive weather warnings.

You can learn more about other 2021 WRN Ambassadors of Excellence here: https://noaa.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapTour/index.html?appid=3998f142e73e4cb4a27553c4894d3060


Photos Courtesy of the Streator Fire Department

Photo: NWS Chicago