Des Plaines Fire Department getting new chief in May
Des Plaines Fire Chief Daniel Anderson will retire next month after more than four years leading the department and a career that spanned parts of five decades.
“It is amazing how fast 40 years goes by when you truly love the profession you’ve chosen,” Anderson said in an email Tuesday.
Anderson will be succeeded by current Deputy Chief Matt Matzl, who was being groomed to take over the department and has been working closely with Anderson ahead of the leadership change, officials said.
Anderson’s last day on the job is scheduled for May 22. Matzl will take over the following day, with a public swearing-in ceremony expected in June, according to a news release.
Anderson launched his public safety career in 1984 as a paid-on-call firefighter and contract paramedic with the Batavia Fire Department. From there he went to the St. Charles Fire Department, the Lisle-Woodridge Fire District and the Roselle Fire Department, where he was hired as chief in 2015.
He joined the Des Plaines Fire Department as its chief in January 2020.
The department expanded under his leadership, including an additional ambulance crew and personnel for other rigs, city officials said.
“Chief Anderson's dedication to the Des Plaines Fire Department and the community has been exemplary and has enhanced our emergency services,” Mayor Andrew Goczkowski said in the release.
Anderson estimated he’s responded to hundreds of fires over the course of his career. The one that stands out was his first big fire in 1985, at the Fishermen’s Inn in Elburn. He recalled walking through what was left of the dining area and seeing coats, purses and partially eaten meals throughout the room.
It was eerie.
“The sense of how rapid the fire and smoke conditions consumed the dining room were evident,” Anderson said.
Anderson also shared the story of saving the life of a woman who went into cardiac arrest during an ambulance ride a hospital.
“I shocked her once to restore her heart, and continued to the hospital,” he said. “She regained consciousness and was talking to us as we wheeled her into the ER.”
A few months later, the woman stopped by the fire station and gave Anderson a small wooden heart and an angel pin as thank-you gifts.
“I carried that heart with me every workday for 20+ years and wore the angel pin on my uniform until a few years ago when the clasp broke,” he said.
Matzl was selected for the job by City Manager Dorothy Wisniewski and was the only person considered for the post, city spokeswoman Maureen Stern said.
Matzl has spent his entire firefighting career in Des Plaines, joining as a firefighter/paramedic in October 2001. He worked his way up the staffing ladder and was named deputy chief in 2021.
“I am grateful to have served with so many great leaders, mentors, and friends over the past 23 years,” Matzl said in an email Tuesday. “My goal as the incoming Fire Chief will be to continue to provide the excellent and professional Fire & EMS service the community deserves.”
Matzl has been taking over day-to-day leadership responsibilities in the department in recent weeks to ensure a smooth transition, officials said.
Anderson is collecting a $178,086 base annual salary, officials said. Matzl’s salary as chief hasn’t yet been determined, but he earns $165,319 a year now.