Retiring Addison chief: Firefighting 'not just a job'

It's not just the 30 years he has dedicated to the Addison Fire Protection District that will make Thursday bittersweet for retiring Chief Leigh Fabbri.

Letting go will also be tough, Fabbri said, because he's a firefighter to the core.

"It's not just a job," he said. "That is who you are. You are a firefighter. And firefighters love to help people and be part of a solution in a time of crisis."

After beginning his career in 1971 as a first responder on an ambulance with the Schiller Park Emergency Squad, Fabbri volunteered from 1973 to 1975 as a firefighter with the Bensenville and Itasca fire departments.

After a brief leave from the fire service, he began a full-time career in 1977 with the Bolingbrook Fire Department. Then, in June 1979, he began his three-decade career with the Addison Fire Protection District as a firefighter and paramedic.

Fabbri said he knew he would stay with Addison for the long haul because he wanted to live near the village.

"I'm a big believer in being in the community I work in or living nearby," he said. "It's very important in being a part of that community and participating in events."

With 55 sworn firefighters, five civilian employees and three stations under his supervision, Fabbri said he is most proud of his work in expanding fire safety training for Addison residents and businesses, as well as implementing a physical fitness program for his employees.

Of the safety initiatives, which included revising fire codes, Fabbri said it was important for him to help residents and business owners understand the fire department is their ally.

"It's not about telling someone what they have to do, but about how they can better protect their homes, businesses and livelihoods," Fabbri said.

The physical fitness program included a mandatory annual physical and was a labor of love, since Fabbri believes in keeping employees healthy both to care for Addison's safety and so they can enjoy life after their careers.

"It's really for them," Fabbri said. "I want them to reach retirement healthy and fit."

This concern for employees also translated into Fabbri's decision-making as chief. Deputy Chief Don Markowski, who will step into the district's top position Thursday, said Fabbri's leadership was marked by his philosophy of good communication.

"Everyone you work with has something important to say, whether you agree with that perspective or not," Fabbri said.

That diplomacy served Fabbri when he recently represented the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association as a local representative and as chairman of the Codes and Standards Committee. He also has proposed legislation and worked on behalf of the Illinois Fire Chiefs on legislative issues.

As he steps away from long work weeks and a job where the lives of others rest in his charge, the chief said he looks forward to traveling the U.S. and, eventually, Europe with his wife.

"My wife jokes that I work 50 to 70 hours per week and my mind is on the department 100 percent of the time," he said.