Buffalo Grove Fire Department assistant earns top state honor

Buffalo Grove Fire Department Administrative Assistant Courtney Michaels has been named the Illinois Fire Service Administrative Professional of the Year for 2024.

The award, given by the Illinois Fire Chief’s Association, honors Michaels’ work ethic and commitment to the fire service and its members, as well as her public education and safety skills, officials said.

“Courtney is a major part of our department’s success,” Fire Chief Lawrence Kane said in an announcement of the award. “No matter what needs to be done and where it needs to happen, she is there.

Michaels joined the department in 2020. In addition to her duties there, she serves on the Illinois Fire Service Administrative Professional Board helping provide direction, support and training for the organization and its members. She also serves as a member of the MABAS — AHOST Team where she worked to develop a system of credentialing and tracking team members deployed across Illinois and Wisconsin for various emergency and rescue needs.

“I am truly honored to receive this award from the Illinois Fire Chief’s Association and for Chief Kane’s nomination. I am so thankful to him and the members of the Buffalo Grove Fire Department for their support and recognition,” Michaels aid Michaels. “The fire service is unlike anything else, and I am so grateful to be a part of it.”