Bartlett fire chief announces retirement

Bartlett Fire Protection District Chief Kevin Heine will retire on March 31 to take a job at another fire department.

Heine announced his retirement Wednesday at the fire protection district board meeting. The 54-year-old leaves after 30 years of service in Bartlett. He said after the board meeting that he had been pondering leaving the post he took officially in 2005. His pension is maxed after 30 years of service.

He succeeded Chief William O'Boyle, who left the position among political turmoil in 2005.

"With all the ups and downs of firefighting, I never thought I'd make it to this point, and I really enjoyed it," Heine said.

Heine would not reveal details about his new job but said he would do so next week. He added that he and his wife, who live in Bartlett, would seek to be active in local politics.

Heine said "he couldn't even imagine" the state of the district if voters didn't approve a 2006 tax hike that paid for equipment and personnel, raising $2.3 million. The last of the equipment from that tax hike, a fire engine, was put in service earlier this week. They also built a new fire station.

"We were so far down, morale was down. Our responses were up. And with the tax cap, what it did to us, it just handcuffed us," Heine said.

Heine said the money was needed just to keep the fire district up-to-date with the village's population growth over the last decade plus.

"Everything that referendum was for, we did. Everything we said that it was going to do, we did," Heine said.

The tax hike request had failed three times before voters approved it, but under Heine's guidance, firefighters knocked on doors and explained how the money would help the department.

Reducing response times, increasing staff and eliminating the political red tape that surrounded the fire district before 2005 were some of Heine's highlights.

"We had places in the village that took us six minutes, seven minutes, eight minutes to get to, and now we're going an average between four and five minutes," Heine said.

Heine also changed the atmosphere and demeanor of the district. At one point all Bartlett firefighters were restricted from speaking to the media, even if that meant providing details about a fire.

Heine began his career in 1974 as a cadet and was hired full time in 1980. He also served a stint as acting chief in 2002 after Steve Figved resigned.