While the vacant Streator city manager role was filled with a new face, the next fire chief will be a familiar one.
After a short stint as the interim chief, Captain Bryan Park has been named the next fire chief, the Streator Fire Department announced Tuesday morning.
Park, a lifelong Streator resident and 20-year veteran of the department, will take over as chief effective June 8. He succeeds retiring Chief Gary Bird.
A 1995 graduate of Streator High School, Park earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Illinois State University.
Park then joined the Streator Fire Department in 2002. He was promoted to lieutenant in 2016 and captain in 2024. He holds certification as an Advanced Fire Officer and is a licensed Emergency Medical Technician.
Park lives in Streator with his wife, Tiffany, and their children, Ella and Tyler.
In a previous release, the department said Park has been in a leadership role in multiple areas throughout his time with the department.
“Throughout his career with the Streator Fire Department, Captain Park has demonstrated a strong commitment to emergency response, firefighter development, and public service,” officials said in a statement. “His leadership has played an important role in the department’s continued mission of protecting the citizens and visitors of Streator.”
Specifically, he has played a key role in advancing the expansion of Emergency Medical Services, the Streator Fire/American Red Cross smoke alarm program and public information campaigns.
When asked about his goals and priorities, Park said he intends to build on the foundation established under retiring Fire Chief Gary Bird with a safety-first mentality.
“My goals and priorities starting out will be, first and foremost, ensuring our firefighters and EMS providers are safe, both physically and mentally,” Park said. “Their well-being is our most important priority, and we will make sure our first responders go home at the end of each shift in the best possible condition.”
He said another top priority will be maintaining and improving the department’s emergency response, which he noted has grown significantly in recent years.
“We’ve been able to set a strong standard in response times, time to put water on a fire, cardiac save rate and patient care,” Park said. “We will continue to improve those areas, knowing we can always do better. This will remain our primary goal.”
Park also emphasized strengthening ties with the community as a goal of his.
“We will continue and improve our community involvement,” he said. “Being a part of the Streator community is vital to our mission. We will work to be more approachable and available, and stay keyed in to the issues residents face. We work for the residents of Streator, and we take pride in being your fire department.”
In a statement, he called the appointment “the honor of my lifetime,” adding that the department is “in a great position thanks to the hard work of all Streator firefighters, past and present, and the leadership of retiring Chief Gary Bird.”