Schaumburg's New Fire Chief James G. Walters Sworn In During August 29 Ceremony

Schaumburg's new Fire Chief, James G. Walters, was formally sworn in to the fire department during a public ceremony held August 29 in front of family, friends and village staff. Chief Walters becomes the fifth full-time Chief for the department and the seventh Chief in the department's history.

Chief Walters, who started his tenure in Schaumburg on Aug. 14, was officially administered the oath of office and presented with his badge at the event held in Russ Parker Hall at the Robert O. Atcher Municipal Center in Schaumburg.

"I am humbled and blown away to be here tonight," Chief Walters said. "One thing that stood out to me upon coming here was the core values of integrity, trust, respect, teamwork and customer service along with the pride and tradition that seem to have been instilled in the personnel in this department. It makes me proud to be a part of this organization."

Chief Walters was selected out of 40 applicants received from across the country to fill the vacancy left by former Fire Chief Dave Schumann who retired Aug. 25, after 38 years of service with the village.

Before coming to Schaumburg, Chief Walters was the Fire Chief in Skokie for the past two years, and prior to becoming Chief, he served the Village of Skokie in a variety of roles including Firefighter Paramedic, Lieutenant, Captain, Deputy Chief of Operations, and Deputy Chief of Administration.

Chief Walters possesses 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. He holds numerous state fire certifications, is a National Fire Protection Association certified Fire Inspector and is certified in Incident Command.

Read the full press release on the village's website at http://bit.ly/2sY8wX5 announcing Chief Walters' appointment, which was unanimously approved by Schaumburg's Village Board on June 27.