New Addison fire chief looks to community partnerships
As Don Markowski steps into his new role as chief of the Addison Fire Protection District, the safety of residents lies in the hands of a man who is no stranger to the job.
Even before he joined Addison as deputy chief in 2008, Markowski already had served four years as chief of the Glenside Fire Protection District in Glendale Heights. In whole, he served more than 27 years with that district.
The veteran firefighter, who replaces retiring Chief Leigh Fabbri, said he looks forward to the new challenges of leading a larger district with 55 sworn firefighters, five civilian employees and three stations under his supervision.
Filling Markowski's former post will be Battalion Chief Jim Burke.
To understand what lies in store for one of Addison's key public safety officers, the Daily Herald talked with Markowski about the department's future. This is an edited version of the conversation.
Q. You were already a fire chief for four years before coming to Addison as a deputy chief. Why the switch?
A. There comes a point in time in your career where you look for new challenges. I almost felt like it was my destiny to go Addison; former Glenside Fire Chief Ralph Blust retired from the Addison Fire District, and I joke that I'm following his pattern in reverse. I have a lot of respect for (him).
Glenside is a smaller district and now I'm transitioning to the head of a bigger department with more people. Then again, even though Glenside was smaller doesn't mean there was less work. You still had to get involved in the community, had to administer to personnel. Your duties are still the same.
So working in Addison, which although larger has less actual fires than Glenside, is just a new experience.
Q. What is your No. 1 priority as you step to the helm of this district?
A. I have inherited a very good department that is well-known in the community and across the state, so I've been very blessed. But in the future, because of the economic condition we are all in, my goal will be to create relationships with other government entities to make sure we survive this economic challenge.
Q. Your predecessor, Chief Fabbri, said he was particularly proud of his work developing fire prevention programs and health initiatives for department employees, including an annual physical exam. Will you continue to build on these programs?
A. Yes, I absolutely agree with them. I was welcomed by Chief Fabbri and all members of the district, and he has allowed me input and to be part of the process with a lot of the programs he put together.
Of course we will continue to evaluate and improve as we go along. But especially fire prevention and public eduction are the key to the department's success. - If we can stop the fires from starting, then we don't have to put any firefighters in harm's way.
Q. Anything else you think Addison residents should know?
A. Residents and community understand that the fire district has always been responsive to their needs and these are the things we will focus on as we continue to build relationships. This happens with programs like the CPR and AED training we offer through the American Heart Association, as well as fire extinguisher training.
Also, with hard economic times and demographic changes, we struggle through all of that too. And we're going to do it together with them.
Addison Fire Chief Don Markowski
Education: Master's degree in business from National Louis University; bachelor's degree in fire science management from Southern Illinois University; associate degree in fire science from College of DuPage
Accomplishments: Obtained his Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal, Chief Fire Officer III certification in 1996
Community involvement: Director for the Addison Chamber of Commerce; director of the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association
Fun fact: Lifelong, die-hard Chicago Cubs fan