The Riverside Fire Department has a new fire chief effective August 15th, hiring Glenview Battalion Chief Spencer Kimura. The Riverside-Brookfield Landmark has an article which states:
Riverside Village Manager Peter Scalera announced Tuesday that he has hired Spencer Y. Kimura as the village’s new fire chief, ending a search process underway since April.
Kimura, who is a battalion chief with 31 years of experience working for the Glenview Fire Department, will assume his new duties on Aug. 15. For at least a couple of months, said Scalera, Kimura will split his time between Riverside and Glenview, prior to officially retiring from the north suburban department.
“He needs to finalize things he is working on over there,” said Scalera.
There were 55 applicants for the job, which came open when former Chief Kevin Mulligan was fired April 4. For months, the department’s leadership was in crisis, with two assistant chiefs resigning their posts in the past year.
Scalera said he went with Kimura because of his leadership background and his experience managing people.
“He’ll bring that level of professionalism to the organization,” said Scalera, who acknowledged that his decision might not be universally hailed within the ranks of the Riverside Fire Department. Capt. William Sherman, who has served as the department’s officer-in-charge since Mulligan’s departure this spring, was also a candidate for the job. He has been with the Riverside Fire Department for more than 20 years.
“I’m sure there will be some individuals who won’t like the idea of someone new coming in and would have been comfortable with someone they already know,” said Scalera. “I’m excited about the decision, and I hope the community and the department embrace him and give [Kimura] the opportunity to show what kind of leader he can be.”
Scalera said he hopes Sherman can play a key role in the department moving forward.
The complete article can be found HERE.
A Journal Online includes:
Glenview Fire Chief Wayne Globerger and Riverside Village Manager Peter Scalera both confirmed the move this week.
Kimura will not respond to Riverside if he is on duty in Glenview, Globerger said.
Scalera said Riverside’s last chief also worked full-time for another fire department and said with mutual aid agreements, an incident commander might be designated from a neighboring community if Kimura were not available.
Though Kimura is working for both departments Scalera said by the end of the year Kimura must make a full-time commitment to Riverside and leave Glenview.
Kimura will earn $75,000 per year from Riverside with a 30-hour per week commitment as Riverside chief. He earns a current salary of $115,576 from Glenview.
