SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND)- Governor Pritzker has proclaimed the week of  January 17-23 as Community Risk Reduction Week in Illinois.

In its efforts, the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal has established the State of Illinois CRR Taskforce to identify and mitigate risks in Illinois.

According to officials, Community Risk Reduction, is a data-driven process to identify and prioritize local risks, followed by the integrated and strategic investment of resources (emergency response and prevention) to reduce their occurrence and impact.

The week aims to raise awareness among fire services implementing CRR concepts and was originated by individuals from various fire departments across the country.

The week will focus on the five "E’s" of CRR: Education, Engineering, Enforcement, Economic Incentive and Emergency Response.

Monday, January 17, 2022 is Martin Luther King Day and is nationally recognized as a National Day of Service and an opportunity for communities to reduce the risk in their community through a series of educational and other programs.

The CRR process started in Illinois, due to the pandemic in 2019. Two years later the State of Illinois Community Risk Reduction Taskforce was officially established, with the mission to promote the importance of risk reduction in Illinois by inspiring community ownership and providing coordinated resources.

Currently, the taskforce is conducting a statewide risk assessment that will identify specific risks and help provide a more targeted approach to the mitigation of those risks across the state.

"The establishment of the State of Illinois Community Risk Reduction Taskforce is a step toward a safer Illinois and a way to help reduce the stress on the Illinois Fire Service through the identification of risks and finding ways to do targeted mitigation," said Illinois State Fire Marshal Matt Perez. "We hosted the first ever State of Illinois CRR conference in Springfield helping to provide information about the process and how local communities can get involved. I am proud that Illinois is a leader in the CRR community."

According to crrweek.org, every 24 seconds, a fire department in the United States responds to a fire somewhere in the nation. In 2020, 74% of all fire deaths occurred in the home and home fires were responsible for 15,200 civilian injures, causing an estimated $21.9 billion in property damage. In 2020, EMS responses were the top reason for a fire department to be called out in Illinois, and nationally the fire service responds to a growing number of medical calls for service, surpassing 80% of total call volume in some jurisdictions.

For more information on CRR Week, please visit the CRR Week website.