Schaumburg hires new fire chief from Skokie
Schaumburg officials have hired Skokie Fire Chief James Walters to lead their village's fire department after the retirement of longtime Schaumburg Fire Chief Dave Schumann on Aug. 25.
"He's eminently qualified," Schaumburg Village Manager Brian Townsend said of Walters.
Among the factors that led to the choice was Walters' leadership in a community comparable to Schaumburg in many ways, Townsend added.
Skokie is also a densely populated village whose 65,000 residents are only about 10,000 fewer than Schaumburg's, he said. And Skokie, too, is home to a major shopping center in Westfield Old Orchard.
Walters has been a member of the Skokie Fire Department for the past 31 years and its chief during the last two.
"I look forward to working in Schaumburg, which I consider a progressive and innovative community," Walters said in a written statement Thursday. "I'm grateful to be given this opportunity to lead the Schaumburg Fire Department into the future."
Walters will start working for the Schaumburg Fire Department on Monday, Aug. 14 at a salary of $150,000. But he won't be sworn in as chief until Schumann's retirement on Friday, Aug. 25, following two weeks of overlap to allow a smooth transition, Townsend said.
Schumann's salary at retirement is $167,157.
"Chief Schumann has been a dedicated professional and will be missed," Townsend said. "I am confident Chief Walters will continue the fire department's tradition of providing the highest level of professional service to the community, ensuring that Schaumburg continues to be a great place to live, work and visit."
The search for a new Schaumburg fire chief began almost immediately after Schumann made his retirement announcement in February, Townsend said.
There were originally about 40 applicants, who were narrowed to 12 or 13 for serious consideration. But interviews were ultimately conducted with only six of them.
There were two internal candidates for the position, one of whom was among the six interviewed, Townsend said.
Schumann was first hired by the Schaumburg Fire Department in 1979 and advanced through the ranks before becoming chief in 1999.
He is credited with steering the department through such capital building projects as two new fire stations, major reconstruction and expansion of two others and construction of an emergency operations center.
Schumann also led efforts to improve service by increasing the educational requirements for new applicants and promotions, transitioned to the use of the Northwest Central Dispatch regional 911 center and implemented advanced life support capabilities on all firefighting vehicles.