Village of Park Forest, Illinois 60466 (708) 748-1112

Firefighter of the Year James Lustig (left) and Fire Chief Robert Wilcox (right)

Firefighter/Paramedic James Lustig has been a career member of the Park Forest Fire Department since July 15, 1984. Over his 29 years of service to the Village, Fire/Medic Lustig has proven to be an excellent firefighter who remains extremely calm under pressure and has shown the ability to think very quickly on his feet. Because of his seniority and standing on the Lieutenant’s eligibility list, Jim serves as second in command on Gold Shift.

Fire/Medic Lustig understands the great responsibility that comes with being in-charge and appreciates the safety of his shift and the general public is hinged on the decisions he will make that day. Jim understands that safety lies in the little things we do or our attention to detail and as a result takes extra time to be sure the smallest details are addressed. His quiet demeanor keeps those working under him at ease and he can often be found mentoring and training our newest Fire/Medics, especially on street and address location familiarization.

Fire/Medic Lustig, a painter on his days off, is always one of the first to step up and take on new projects either around the station or on more global department initiatives. His maintenance efforts on our facilities have unquestionably provided significant monetary savings for the Village. But equally notable have been his contributions to the Mapping Project where he and Fire/Medic Carolyn Gray have taken the lead in this critically important project which was assigned to Gold Shift.

Fire/Medic Lustig is a multi-award recipient of the Department’s “Meritorious Unit Commendation” which is reflective of his overall commitment to the Department and his professionalism exhibited daily is in keeping with the highest traditions of the Fire Service and for these reasons Firefighter/Paramedic James Lustig was selected as Firefighter of the Year.

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