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Peter Van Dorpe, chief of the Algonquin-Lake in the Hills (IL) Fire Protection District, was presented with the 2016 Fire Engineering/ISFSI George D. Post Instructor of the Year Award at today’s General Session.
Van Dorpe has been a field instructor for the Illinois Fire Service Institute, a lead instructor for the Chicago (IL) Fire Department’s Fire Officer School, and an instructor on building construction for the fire service through the City Colleges of Chicago.
His additional accomplishments include serving as an advisory board member for the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) Firefighter Safety Research Institute and as a subject matter expert for UL’s research on “Structural Stability of Engineered Lumber in Fire Conditions,” the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST’s) “Evaluating Firefighting Tactics Under Wind-Driven Conditions,” the International Association of Fire Fighters/NIST “Firefighter Safety and Deployment Study” in high-rise buildings, and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health investigation into the March 26, 2014, line-of-duty deaths of two Boston firefighters.
Van Dorpe was the International Society of Fire Service Instructors (ISFSI) Selection Committee’s unanimous choice for the award. “Chief Van Dorpe has a distinguished career leading the training department of the Chicago Fire Department and is one of the most sought-after instructors in the country as a champion of the Principles of Modern Fire Attack,” noted Steve Pegram, president of the ISFSI. “He has barreled through barriers with urban departments to move the message forward, and his service to the UL advisory board has guided the research and message to create a global impact.”
Van Dorpe recently retired as the director of the Chicago Fire Department’s Training Division after a 33-year career. He has a bachelor’s degree in fire science management from Southern Illinois University. He has made presentations on modern fireground challenges at FDIC and at the National Fire Academy. In 2012, he delivered the General Session Keynote at FDIC. He addressed the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the “Effectiveness of Furniture Flammability Standards and Flame Retardant Chemicals.”
The award, which incorporates the Training Achievement Award previously given by Fire Engineering at the FDIC, is named for George D. Post, a long-time member of the ISFSI. Post was a member of the Fire Department of New York, an illustrator of fire service publications, and a developer of instructional materials; he is considered by many to be the father of visual training material used to train fire service personnel around the world.
