SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — Governor JB Pritzker has proclaimed Jan. 20-26, 2025, as Community Risk Reduction (CRR) Week across the state.

CRR is a data-driven process that identifies and prioritizes local risks, which is followed by the investment of emergency response and prevention resources to reduce their impact and occurrences.

“Illinois continues to be a leader in CRR thanks to the amazing work being done by fire departments across the state and our CRR taskforce,” said Illinois State Fire Marshal James A. Rivera.

Every 23 seconds, a fire department in the United States responds to a fire somewhere across the country, according to crrweek.org. 79% of all fire deaths happened in homes in 2023, and home fires were responsible for 13,350 civilian injuries and an estimated $23.2 billion in property damage. Additionally, 70% percent of all fire department responses across the state come from EMS calls.

CRR Week looks to raise awareness among the fire service that introducing CRR concepts will make departments and communities safer. The week will focus on the five “E’s” of CRR:

• Education
• Engineering
• Enforcement
• Economic Incentive
• Emergency Response

Monday was Martin Luther King Day, which is nationally recognized as a National Day of Service and was an opportunity for communities to decrease risks for their residents through a number of programs.

“The OSFM is committed to funding and supporting CRR work across the state, and we plan to continue to help build these programs which in the end will lead to safer communities across the state,” Rivera said.

The mission of the State of Illinois Community Risk Reduction Task Force, which the CRR process promotes, is to emphasize the importance of risk reduction across the state by inspiring community ownership and providing coordinated resources.

“I encourage communities of all sizes to learn about and engage in the CRR process, it can start with something small which can build into bigger programs in the future,” Rivera said.

To learn more about the task force and to find CRR resources to help get a CRR program started in your community, visit illinoiscrr.com or follow Illinois CRR on Facebook. Pritzker’s full proclamation can be viewed here.