SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois State Fire Marshal Matt Perez is announcing his plans to retire, effective at the end of the month.
Perez has served over 7 years as the State Fire Marshal and over 37 years in the public safety field.
“Matt Perez has been an outstanding Fire Marshal for all of Illinois, serving through administrations on both sides of the aisle and championing districts urban and rural alike,” said Gov. JB Pritzker.
While serving as State Fire Marshal, Perez worked with the Governor’s Office and legislators to increase funding for training, education, equipment, and vehicles for Illinois firefighters.
“Serving as State Fire Marshal has been a true honor. Working together with the 14-fire service organizations to make our firefighters safer and more efficient has been very rewarding,” Perez said.
Perez currently serves as an executive board member of the National Association of State Fire Marshal’s and has received numerous leadership awards for Illinois fire service organizations.
Dale Simpson will assume the role of Acting Fire Marshal until a permanent replacement for Perez can be found. Simpson was hired into the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal in 2013 as a Fire Prevention Inspector, became Fire Prevention Division Manager in 2016, and has been the Bureau Chief of Operations since 2019.
