CAIRO GETS NEW POLICE, FIRE CHIEFS

CAIRO, Ill. -- Two veteran officers have been elevated to city chief positions.

Jim Wright, who joined the Cairo Police Department 18 years ago and served as chief from 1986 to 1991, has been named police chief by Mayor James Wilson. He replaces Bobby Simmons, who retired.

Mike Brey, a 26-year veteran of the Cairo Fire Department, is the new fire chief.

"Wright did a good job as chief before," said Wilson. "He's a good officer, and we've had no problems working with him. I'm confident he can do the job. He's a veteran officer, and he's familiar with our operation."

Wright will be working toward establishing better relations between police officers and residents.

The mayor said the police department will take advantage of all possible training opportunities.

The police department is housed in a modern building at 1501 Washington. The forces ranges from 13 to 16 officers.

Brey, a 26-year veteran of the fire department, succeeds John Holman, who announced his resignation this month.

Brey takes over a department that is far smaller than that of 1970, when he joined the department. The department today consists of the chief, four full-time firefighters and eight, paid, on-call firemen.

Twenty-six years ago Cairo had two firehouses -- uptown and downtown -- and each shift at each station had five men and a chief.

The fire department has been consolidated into one modern firehouse near the center of town, at 1513 Washington.

"We're fighting fewer fires now than 25 years ago," said Brey. "A lot of our fire hazards have been eliminated.

He explained that the city had a new program designed to demolish dilapidated and abandoned houses.

Brey will emphasize fire prevention.

A fire can be devastating," said Brey. "Lives are endangered and belongings will be lost.

"We will respond to a fire with good people and equipment, but we'd rather see it prevented," said Brey.

He said the department will continue to rely on the assistance of the Cairo Auxiliary Fire Department, which has more than 20 members and is stationed at 3100 Sycamore. "The auxiliary is a real asset, and I certainly appreciate their assistance," said Brey.

"I can't say enough about the importance of smoke detectors," said Brey. "But they are no better than the batteries in them."

Brey suggested that new batteries be installed at least twice a year. A good practice is to install batteries when the time changes each year, usually in April and October, said Brey.