WOOD RIVER — Madison County’s Emergency Management Agency (EMA) has chosen their volunteer of the year. On Wednesday, Cory Heuchert, a longtime volunteer for EMA was presented with the agency’s 2 nd annual award.
A dinner was held to thank the agency’s team of 33 registered volunteers and Heuchert was singled out for his service and dedication.
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“Cory has been with EMA since the volunteer team began,” said Chris Johnson, Director of Madison County EMA. “The team plays a vital role in our ability to provide services to the citizens of Madison County. We couldn’t do all that we do without them and Cory is a prime example.” Heuchert first got involved with Emergency Management in 2012 as a founding member of the agency’s communications support team. Since then he has deployed to incidents all over Madison County providing communications support as well as serving as a member of the agency’s Unified Command Post Deployment Team and the Madison County HazMat Team.
“There aren’t many agencies that Cory hasn’t helped out in this area,” said Johnson. “The amount of knowledge he brings to the table when it comes to public safety communications is invaluable.” When not volunteering his time with EMA, Heuchert serves as a firefighter/paramedic with the Edwardsville Fire Department and holds multiple certifications from the Illinois Office of the State Fire Marshal.
“I truly enjoy serving people in the community,” said Heuchert. “Whether it’s with my day-to-day job with the fire department or making things run smoothly on a scene for other public safety agencies, I just enjoy being able to help out where I can.”
In addition to his volunteerism in Madison County, Heuchert is also registered as a State of Illinois Communications Unit Leader (COM-L). Having this certification, allows him to deploy anywhere in the state when needed.
Visit https://www.co.madison.il.us/departments/emergency_management to learn more about the EMA’s volunteer programs.
