IFSI Memorial Hall
Firefighter Memorial Hall documents firefighter fatalities and showcases firefighting history and traditions. The Hall provides a permanent home for the IFSI Firefighter Line of Duty Deaths Honor Book, which memorializes more than 850 Illinois firefighters who have died in the line of duty since 1857.The Firefighter Memorial Hall also features permanent and temporary exhibits related to Illinois fire service history, as seen in the image below.
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IFLODD
The Illinois Firefighter Line of Duty Deaths Digital Image Collection Database provides online access to digitized photographs and records, historical summaries, and oral history interviews that document the ultimate sacrifice of more than 800 Illinois firefighters over the past 150 years. Digital access to this history memorializes the firefighters, increases awareness of their sacrifice, and supplies contemporary firefighters with valuable lessons learned from the various deaths.
IFSI Resources
- IFLODD and Medal of HonorThis document describes the Illinois Firefighter Line of Duty Deaths and Medal of Honor databases. Contact information for questions or to contribute information is included.
About this page
The Illinois Fire Service Institute is the statutory fire academy for the State of Illinois. It is operated as a continuing education and public service activity by the University of Illinois. This page includes resources detailing the history of IFSI, as well as resources developed at IFSI such as IFLODD and Medal of Honor databases.
IFSI Library and Archive Resources
- History of the Illinois Fire Service Insitute byCall Number: TH9123.F49 2009Publication Date: 2011Describes the rich history and vision that created the Illinois Fire Service Institute. Covers the first course at IFSI in 1925 through the 2011 dedication of the Learning Resource and Research Center.
- Construction of the IFSI training tower, 1965-66 byCall Number: TH9123 .I45 1965Film footage depicting the construction of the Illinois Fire Service Institute Training Tower. In 1965, the Illinois Department of Public Safety allocated $125,000 from the state's Fire Prevention Fund to construct a six-story fire training tower near South First Street in Champaign. Over the next several decades, new facilities were built on the site and it became the permanent location for fire training on campus and the home of the Illinois Fire Service Institute during the 1980s
The following materials are available at the IFSI Library. To access these materials, please visit the library and request assistance from the library staff.
- Illinois Fire Service Institute Special Operations Training Programs : programs' history and instructor biographies, 2012 byCall Number: TH9123 .I45 2012Publication Date: 2012Contains historical information from the programs housed within the Special Operations Training Programs (S.O.T.P.) at the Illinois Fire Service Institute as of 2012.
- IFSI Annual Reports, 1976-present byContains annual reports that summarize the yearly activities of the Illinois Fire Service Institute, including statistics on courses, students, staff, facilities, funding, and specialized training efforts.
Materials in the IFSI Archives do not circulate, but patrons are welcome to use these resources in the IFSI Library. Additional access restrictions may also apply. - IFSI Newsletters, 1976-present byContains copies of the Fire Service Institute Bulletin (1976-1980), the Illinois Fire Service Institute Newsletter (1989-94, 1999-present), and the ""IFSI-Connect"" E-Newsletter (2007-).
Materials in the IFSI Archives do not circulate, but patrons are welcome to use these resources in the IFSI Library. Additional access restrictions may also apply.
Librarian
IFSI Library Information
Library Hours:
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Monday - Friday
Special operating hours may be held during events.
IFSI Library Staff:
Lian Ruan, Head Librarian: lruan@illinois.edu
Diane Richardson, Reference & User Training Librarian: dlrichar@illinois.edu
David Ehrenhart, Archivist and Metadata Librarian: ehrenha1@illinois.edu