Excerpts from MABAS-IL:
Subject: MABAS – Illinois Change in Leadership – Transition OverviewMABAS CEO Jay Reardon and the MABAS-Illinois leadership have been in discussions for some time regarding his retirement including an organized transition plan. Accordingly, effective June 30 ,2017, Chief Reardon will be stepping down as MABAS-Illinois CEO and Chief Glenn Ericksen, current MABAS Administrative and Finance Section Chief, will assume the duties of the Chief Executive Officer. Chief Reardon will becomes an advisor to the Leadership Team and Executive Board effective July 1, 2017 and serve in the position until December 31, 2017.
Glenn Ericksen retired approximately three years ago as the fire chief for the Village of Arlington Heights after forty years with the village. Upon his retirement, he accepted his current position as MABAS Section Chief. The MABAS Leadership Team supported Chief Ericksen’s CEO appointment unanimously.
Chief Reardon was elected as MABAS-Illinois President in 1999 while serving as fire chief for the Northbrook Fire Department. Following his election was an invitation for MABAS to become a member of Illinois Terrorism Task Force as the fire services operational and mutual aid advisor for fire, EMS, and special operations teams. On January 16, 2001 MABAS-Illinois and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency signed a first ever intergovernmental agreement allowing MABAS’ local agency resources to fall under the control of the Illinois governor’s direction as a mobile support team for declarations of disasters. On September 11, 2001 the world changed and so did MABAS-Illinois. Chief Reardon embraced the challenges and expanded citizen service expectations guiding MABAS-Illinois to a statewide mutual aid system which became known as one of the best in the nation. In August 2005, MABAS was tasked through a EMAC interstate mutual aid request to provide operational resources to New Orleans and eleven parishes in Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina. Over the following six weeks MABAS-Illinois successfully served the Louisiana mission with over 900 firefighters and approximately 250 fire/rescue vehicles. Several years later, MABAS-Illinois assisted Louisiana once again in support of Hurricanes Gustav and Ike. In 2008 Chief Reardon retired from the Northbrook Fire Department and was selected as the first full-time CEO for MABAS-Illinois. Since 1999, the MABAS organization includes over 1180 member fire agencies and 95 statewide response capable Special Operations Teams. Additonal accomplishments include the administrative coordination for over $135 million of federally awarded grants for MABAS capabilities and full ownership of the 74,000 square-foot MABAS Readiness Center, the headquarters for statewide MABAS operations.
