Village of Schaumburg Announces James G. Walters as New Fire Chief

Schaumburg Village Manager Brian Townsend is pleased to announce the selection of James G. Walters as the Village of Schaumburg's new fire chief. Walters currently serves as the fire chief for the Village of Skokie, Illinois.

Chief Walters, who will be sworn in as fire chief for the Village of Schaumburg on August 25, 2017, brings a wealth of experience to the position. For the past 31 years, he has served the Village of Skokie in the role of firefighter paramedic, lieutenant, captain, deputy chief of operations, and deputy chief of administration. He has been the fire chief in Skokie for the past two years.

"I look forward to working in Schaumburg, which I consider a progressive and innovative community," said Chief Walters. "I'm grateful to be given this opportunity to lead the Schaumburg Fire Department into the future."

Chief Walters holds numerous state of Illinois Fire Marshal certifications including the requirements for Chief Fire Officer; he is certified in Supervision of Fire Personnel from the Northwestern Illinois University Traffic Institute; is an NFPA Certified Fire Inspector; is certified in Incident Command and is NIMS compliant; and retains his Illinois State EMT-B license. Chief Walters holds a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies from Northeastern Illinois University and a master in public administration degree from Keller Graduate School of Management. In his role as Skokie fire chief, Chief Walters has collaborated with other public safety agencies in Cook County on innovative regional sharing of resources and was instrumental in obtaining more than $1 million dollars in funding through the Department of Homeland Security Assistance to Firefighters Grant program.

Chief Walters, who will receive an annual salary of $150,000, comes to Schaumburg with a strong public safety management background and a dedication to professional staff development and training. He is well-versed in the requirements of the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) process to evaluate performance of fire departments, which is currently underway in Schaumburg and expected to be received in the spring of 2018. Chief Walters also has substantial experience with financial administration and strategic planning.

Chief Walters will be filling the vacancy left by Schaumburg Fire Chief David Schumann, who announced his plan to retire earlier this year after 38 years of service with the fire department. Following Chief Schumann's announcement, the village launched a national recruitment effort. Chief Walters' application was one of approximately 40 applications received from across the country. After a thorough interview process, Chief Walters was selected as the candidate best qualified for the position.

Chief Schumann will retire effective Friday, Aug. 25, ending an 18-year tenure as chief where he provided excellent leadership to the fire department. Chief Schumann began his career with the Village of Schaumburg Fire Department in 1979 as a firefighter, eventually working his way up through the ranks until his appointment as fire chief in February of 1999.

"Chief Schumann has been a dedicated professional and will be missed," said Village Manager Brian Townsend. "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."

Townsend's recommendation will be submitted to the Village Board at its regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, June 27.