Hanover Park’s Haigh awarded fire chief of the year

Hanover Park Fire Chief Craig Haigh has been named the 2012 Illinois Career Fire Chief of the Year, an award given by the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association for exemplary career contributions.

The association honored Haigh for his efforts in a number of areas, including his work with the University of Illinois Firefighter Life Safety Research Center.

Haigh developed an area-wide special response team designed to reduce the detrimental impact of heat stress on firefighters. He also collaborated with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to develop a national curriculum on the management of firefighter heat stress.

Haigh began his career as a volunteer firefighter in Hampton, Ill., and worked at the Rock Island and King, N.C. fire departments before coming to Hanover Park.