Mattoon Fire Department

The mission of the Mattoon Fire Department is to protect our citizens and visitors by minimizing the loss of life and property resulting from fire, medical emergencies and other disasters in such a manner that will retain the public’s support and confidence in all aspects of service delivery.

This mission will be accomplished through Fire Prevention, Investigation, Public Education and Training efforts as well as by maintaining a quick and effective response for fire suppression, Emergency Medical Services and other emergency and non-emergency functions.

Risk Watch is a comprehensive injury prevention program for children in preschool through eighth grade. It is designed to help children and families create safer homes and communities by teaching them the skills and knowledge they need to make positive choices about their personal safety and well-being. Risk Watch seeks to prevent the major unintentional injuries that threaten children in this age group. Each of the following topics is presented in every Risk Watch module.

Topics covered include:

• Motor Vehicle Safety
• Fire and Burn Prevention
• Choking, Suffocation, and Strangulation Prevention
• Poisoning Prevention
• Falls Prevention
• Firearms Injury Prevention
• Bike and Pedestrian Safety
• Water Safety

Currently, approximately 450 students are enrolled in the program.

Juvenile fire setting continues to be a problem throughout the nation, including right here in central Illinois. In 1996, the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshall appointed a Juvenile Fire setters Task Force to develop and coordinate a comprehensive statewide program for various state and local agencies to identify, intervene with, and counsel juveniles to reduce fire deaths, injuries, and property damage from criminal and non-criminal fires. This statewide program is currently managed by The Illinois Fire Safety Alliance.

In November 2003, the Mattoon Fire Department implemented the Juvenile Fire setter Intervention Program. The mission of our program is to identify the fire setting behavior of juveniles involved in the unsanctioned/ unsupervised use of fire, determine the motivation for the fire setting behavior, and provide prevention education/intervention and referrals if warranted for these children and their families. The firefighters who administer this program are specially trained and certified through the Office of the State Fire Marshall.

For more information about our program, contact the Mattoon Fire Department at (217) 234-2442.

The Mattoon Fire Department is honored to provide a free service to our senior citizens called Remembering When. We have joined forces with the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal, National Fire Protection Agency, the Center for High Risk Outreach, and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Remembering When is a presentation bringing awareness to our senior citizens on the prevention of fires and falls.

According to the Center for High Risk, each year approximately 7,000 senior citizens die from fall injuries. Additionally, around 1,000 die in their homes from fires or burns. If you are 65 years of age or greater you are eligible for this free service. Simply call the Mattoon Fire Department and request a presentation. Our program has been simplified to make our senior citizens feel comfortable. Members of the fire department will inspect your home for fire and fall hazards. We will provide you with recommendations for improved safety. In addition, we will install free smoke alarms and monitor your home for carbon monoxide. Our inspection is informal, quick, and friendly. We encourage all of our senior citizens to take advantage of this free service to them.