George Michehl, fire marshal of the Buffalo Grove (Ill.) Fire Department and executive director emeritus of the Illinois Fire Inspectors Association, has been named recipient of the 2011 Excellence in Fire & Life Safety Award, cosponsored by the IAFC’s Fire & Life Safety Section and the International Code Council (ICC).
The award honors those who have dedicated themselves to saving lives and property through the development of codes, fire-prevention practices and leadership techniques. The award is presented annually at Fire-Rescue International, scheduled this year for Aug. 23-27 in Atlanta.
“George Michehl—through his service on the International Fire Code Council, which is now the Fire Service Membership Council—demonstrated his dedication to the development of fire prevention and building codes that ensure public and firefighter safety,” Code Council CEO Richard P. Weiland said.
“He also is to be commended for his efforts that resulted in the Illinois General Assembly’s passage of fire-safe cigarettes legislation and the Greek Housing Fire Sprinkler Retrofit bill.”
Michehl also successfully advocated for regulations in Illinois to require residential fire sprinklers, resulting in almost 70 ordinances. He currently is lobbying to ban novelty lighters.
In 88 Illinois communities, his efforts are credited for zero-square-foot thresholds for commercial and multifamily fire-sprinkler protection, more than any other state, according to Thomas Lia, Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board executive director, who nominated Michehl.
2011 award photo, from left: IAFC First Vice President Chief Hank Clemmensen; Fire Marshal George Michehl, Buffalo Grove, Ill. Fire Department; Mr. Bruce Johnson, ICC Director of Fire Service Activities.