American Red Cross to honor Morris Man as 2022 Hero

MORRIS - The American Red Cross of Greater Chicago is honoring Fire Chief Tracey Steffes as this year’s Firefighter Hero at the organization’s 20th Annual Heroes Breakfast. The event will be held Wednesday, May 11 from 7:30-9:30 a.m. at the Hilton Chicago.

In June 2021, Chief Steffes faced his biggest challenge as the leader of the Morris Fire Department, when nearly 200,000 lithium batteries exploded, and a massive fire with toxic fumes erupted, posing a serious threat to the health of his community. Chief Steffes led the effort to evacuate thousands of people from the area; nearly one-third of the city’s residents.

Managing this large battery fire presented complexities as traditional fire extinguishment methods would exacerbate rather than extinguish the large, growing fire. Chief Steffes consulted with agencies around the world to coordinate the unique response to the fire and to continue operations in the days and weeks to come. At one point, more than 40 firefighting companies were on hand helping to battle the blaze. Chief Steffes now receives calls from other agencies when they face similar situations and provides insights to help protect their citizens.

Chief Steffes is credited with staying calm during a situation that could have escalated further, without proper leadership and swift action.

“Chief Steffes’s poise, quick actions and leadership during an unprecedented disaster likely saved the lives of countless residents of Morris,” said Celena Roldán, chief executive officer of the American Red Cross of Illinois.

“He is a true example of a leader and we look forward to celebrating him at this year’s Heroes Breakfast,”she said.

An independent committee of leaders in the business and civic community selected honorees in 12 community service categories. For the complete list of 2022 Heroes, visit redcross.org/heroes.