Barrington Countryside fire district appoints first woman to board of trustees

S. Allison Murray, a former physician assistant with an extensive record of community and volunteer service, has been appointed to the Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District board of trustees.

She is the first woman to serve as trustee in the district's 82-year history. Her appointment fills a vacancy created by the resignation of Paul Struck, who recently moved to another community.

"Allison Murray brings a new and different set of experiences to the board at a time when the fire service is changing rapidly," board President Keith Hanson said in an announcement of the appointment. "Her point of view, community involvement, and medical experience will benefit the district greatly in years to come."

Murray, a 12-year resident of the district, has worked as an emergency department physician assistant at several hospitals in Knoxville, Tennessee and as a physician assistant in anesthesiology at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina.

"In a district where the vast majority of our calls are for emergency medical services, I'm hopeful that my ED background can provide additional perspective and vision," she said. "

Murray is active as a volunteer, coordinating a series of educational programs for K-2 students in Barrington Community Unit School District 220 that focus on specific animals and plants native to Illinois. She also serves on auxiliary boards for Chicago Charity Clays, Samaritan Counseling Center of the Northwest Suburbs, and Second City Canine Rescue.