Forest Reeder is one of four former Moraine Valley Community College students inducted into the college’s 2020 Alumni Hall of Fame.
Forest Reeder is one of four former Moraine Valley Community College students inducted into the college’s 2020 Alumni Hall of Fame.
Reeder, a 1999 graduate of Moraine Valley, is the fire chief in Tinley Park, where he is responsible for day-to-day operations and management of the fire department. He started his fire service career working for the Palos Fire Protection District, the Des Plaines Fire Department and the Pleasantview Fire Protection District. He earned a Bachelor of Science fire science management from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale and a Master of Science in public safety administration from Lewis University in Romeoville.
Reeder has remained connected to Moraine Valley as an adjunct teacher for nearly 30 years and as a curriculum advisor. He also oversaw the college’s Fire Science Program and is credited with updating the program. He currently serves as the program’s curriculum coordinator, ensuring the fire science courses meet national fire protection standards and state fire marshal objectives. He holds nine Illinois fire certifications, among them fire officer, instructor, incident safety officer, hazardous materials operations and fire apparatus engineer.
As an instructor both locally and nationally, Reeder’s expertise is sought on a variety of topics, including training, safety and officer development. He received the George D. Post Instructor of the Year award by the International Society of Fire Service Instructors and was named Instructor of the Year by the Illinois Society of Fire Science Instructors.
For the past 20 years, he has been a board member on the Illinois Fire Chiefs Education and Research Foundation where he serves as coordinator of fire officer programs and manages 30 staff members. In addition, Reeder has authored several books, and created and instructed classes for the Illinois Fire Chief’s Association and the Illinois Society of Fire Service Instructors.
“Chief Reeder continues to be an integral part of the Fire Science Program at Moraine Valley,” said Patti Friend, director of Alumni and Annual Programs. “His work in this industry has been recognized across the country, citing him as an outstanding leader in fire safety, whether he is instructing a classroom of new recruits, updating curriculum, overseeing an entire fire department or penning a book to help other instructors. We are honored to include Chief Reeder in this year’s Alumni Hall of Fame.”
Reeder was inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame along with Sandra Biedron, of Chicago; Suzanne Akhras Shloul, of Burr Ridge; and Michael Leonard, of Lemont.
