Mount Prospect's fire chief resigns, accepts Bartlett position

Mount Prospect Fire Chief Mike Figolah will leave his post in November to be an assistant fire chief with the Barlett Fire Protection District.

He will be replaced by Mount Prospect Deputy Chief John Malcolm, village Manager Michael Janonis announced. Malcolm, who will be the village's fifth fire chief, has been with the department since 1986 and has been a deputy chief since 1998. Malcolm will be sworn in on Nov. 9.

Figolah, 53, joined the Mount Prospect Fire Department in 1984 and has been the department's fire chief since 1998. He began his fire service career with the West Dundee Fire Department in 1976 as a firefighter and paramedic. His annual salary was $136,240. In the new job, he will make $106,000.

Figolah said Bartlett officials approached him about joining their department.

"I didn't think there was any other place I would want to work besides Mount Prospect, but the idea of going to a young department and getting back involved with emergency responses was very appealing," he said.

More than half of Barlett's full-time firefighters have less than three years on the job, Figolah said, adding that he relished the idea of working more with the firefighters and being less involved in the administrative paperwork that comes with being chief.

Bartlett Fire Chief Michael Falese, who moved up from assistant chief in June after Chief Kevin Heine retired, recruited Figolah, who in 2008 was named Fire Chief of the Year by the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association.

Bartlett Fire Protection District board President James McCarthy praised Figolah's involvement in programs including Camp I am Me, a camp for young burn victims held in Lake County. He said the board was blown away by his resume.

"The one thing this board has striven for is to put into a place the best management team that we can," McCarthy said. "I truly believe in the end, putting a quality management team in place is a very cost-effective strategy to have. You have the right people in place over time, those people will save you much more money than you spent."

Figolah held various posts before becoming chief, served as a paramedic for 20 years and was a member of the hazardous materials team, dive team and technical rescue team. He lives in East Dundee with his wife, Pam. They have one daughter, Kelly, and three grandchildren.

Figolah's first day in Bartlett will be Nov. 8. Figolah said he won't be building up another pension, instead benefiting from a 401(a), which is like a 401(k), with value based on how well the account's investments pan out. While Figolah could draw on his Mount Prospect pension during his time in Bartlett, he said he decided not to.

Malcolm has been involved in many aspects of the department over his 24 years, including oversight of underwater rescue, hazardous materials and technical rescue teams. As deputy chief, he was responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations.

"I have confidence that with John's leadership the fire department will continue to be a model operation known throughout the suburbs," Janonis said in a news release

"Mount Prospect residents and businesses will be well served by this man who has been with the village for almost 25 years," Mayor Irvana Wilks added.

Malcolm said in the news release that he was honored to be chosen and looked forward to leading the department.

"Chief Figolah has done an outstanding job for this department and the fire service; he will truly be missed," he added.

• Daily Herald staff reporter Ashok Selvam contributed to this report.