CONGRATULATIONS TO AMBULANCE COMMANDER JOHN L. DURKIN ON THE OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT
WHEREAS, Much-decorated Ambulance Commander John L. "Jack" Durkin is retiring from the Chicago Fire Department after an illustrious career spanning three and a half decades; and
WHEREAS, During the 1970's, the nascent concept of emergency medical services by first-responders was just beginning to evolve in this city. In 1977, Jack Durkin joined the Chicago Fire Department as an ambulance driver after being trained and certified as an Emergency Medical Technician at the city's Robert J. Quinn Fire Academy. He continued his medical training at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights where he was certified as a paramedic. He was further certified as a paramedic instructor at Chicago's Michael Reese Hospital; and
WHEREAS, After serving three years as an EMT and a paramedic, Jack Durkin was appointed as Paramedic Officer in 1980. By 1985, he was instructor for CPR recertification for the CFD's Emergency Medical Services until 1986 when he was appointed to the Office of Media Affairs as the department's spokesman; and
WHEREAS, During his service with the Office of Media Affairs, Jack Durkin soon recognized importance of the emerging video technology as a vital educational tool for the CFD. He was instrumental in the departments investment in advanced audio and visual equipment and was producer/editor of EMS, Fire Suppression and Rescue training videos as well as the departments important Public Service Announcements; and
WHEREAS, Jack Durkin furthered his education through courses in supervision of fire personnel at the Northwestern University Center for Public Safety, the Illinois Fire Service Institute's course on emergency response to terrorism and instruction from the Federal Emergency Management Agency on national incident management in 2006;and
WHEREAS, From 1989 to 1995, Jack Durkin took on a different but no less vital role at the behest of the Commissioner to assure ...
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