'Here to work for you': New Mount Prospect fire chief sworn in

The Mount Prospect Fire Department entered a new era Tuesday with the swearing in of veteran firefighter John Dolan as chief.

Dolan, 58, grew up in Mount Prospect and attended St. Raymond School and St. Viator High School. He still makes his home in the community, on what Village Manager Michael Cassady called "one of the finest streets ever."

His sisters, Meg Capannari and Katie Dolan Dix, are co-owners of Capannari Ice Cream in the village's downtown,

Dolan made clear Tuesday that he doesn't derive any benefit from that connection.

"You would think I would get free sprinkles," he said. "But it is nice to have that connection in town."

Local ties aside, Cassady credits Dolan with being part of the transformation of the department five years ago when his predecessor, former Chief Brian Lambel, took the helm. Dolan served as Lambel's "wing man" and volunteered for many committees and teams, including the underwater rescue and recovery team and the safety committee, Cassady said.

"John's certifications and continuing education record is exceptional," he added.

Dolan, who holds a business degree from Loyola University in Chicago, joined the department from the world of banking and sales, beginning as a paid-on-call firefighter before switching to full-time duty in 1996.

"I found my way to the fire service late, relatively, and I did kind of a complete 180 with my career," Dolan said. "It's as simple as helping people, just the gratification of making a difference in people's lives."

Dolan said he intends to continue along the course set by Lambel.

"I'm not going to try to fix something that's not broke. We've got a very strong department," he said.

But there is a lot of work ahead, he said, with strategic planning, budgeting and union negotiations.

"To my predecessors, I'll do my best to uphold the awesome team you guys built, and I want to assure all the men and women of the Mount Prospect Fire Department that I'm here to work for you," Dolan said Tuesday. "I report to the village manager. I answer to the trustees and the citizens of Mount Prospect. I work for you guys. So I'm going to do my best."

Also on Tuesday, Thomas Wang was sworn in as deputy chief and Bradley Bocox was sworn in as lieutenant.