Elgin fire chief announces retirement date
Elgin Fire Chief John Fahy announced Friday he will be retiring Oct. 10 after nearly 30 years in fire service, of which 29 he served with the department.
Fahy, who took the helm Jan. 3, 2011, leads the sixth largest fire department in Illinois, overseeing 133 fire and emergency personnel and seven fire stations within 36 square miles. His last working day will be Aug. 22, at which time he is taking, altogether, seven weeks of vacation for the first time in his life.
Fahy said he is leaving the department in capable hands.
"Obviously, we have some very qualified people within," he said. "We are prepared to promote from within. We train up our lower ranks. We have a responsibility to have a succession plan in place."
His two assistant chiefs - Dave Schmidt, head of operations, and Bryan McMahan, head of administration and emergency management - are next in line in terms of hierarchy.
"They are both graduates of the Executive Fire Officer Program at the National Fire Academy," Fahy said.
City Administrator Sean Stegall, who himself is leaving July 31, said the job of appointing Fahy's successor will fall on the next city manager, Rick Kozal, now assistant city manager.
"There are quality candidates within the Elgin Fire Department that I expect would get serious consideration; however, an outside search per city council policy should also be expected," Stegall said. "In my experience, more than any other department, fire chiefs are promoted from within out of all the municipal disciplines."
Stegall is expecting a smooth transition, but he said Fahy will be missed.
"Chief Fahy was an absolute superstar chief," Stegall said. "And he has built a fire department that reflects his excellence."
Fahy started his career with the city of Aurora, where he served nine months. Before being named Elgin fire chief, he served as president of the Elgin Association of Firefighters Local 439 for five years and on the Kane County Board.
Though retiring from fire service, Fahy isn't quite hanging it up. He will start a full-time job as senior adviser of academic programming and emergency services at Elgin Community College's Center for Emergency Services in Burlington in late August. He will be making roughly $85,000 yearly compared to his current annual salary of $168,000 with the city.
Fahy said he is looking forward to his new role training the next generation of emergency services personnel at ECC.
"I've been involved in training my whole career," he said. "I was a member of the Elgin Regional Fire Academy for about 15 years. We trained firefighters all across northern Illinois, many who are chief officers now in their departments. My job is going to be building both programs and relationships."
"One of the things that I hope the ECC campus is able to do is help the police and fire emergency dispatch services with the diversity they are looking for in their ranks," he added.
Among Fahy's goals is exposing minority communities to the police and fire professions.
"Part of my job will be going to the high schools and starting a dual pathway program, especially in (Elgin Area School District) U-46," said Fahy, adding such a program already exists at Algonquin-based Community Unit District 300. "I want to get that in place so we can offer that opportunity to Elgin residents."