Excerpts from the Journal-Topics.com:
Mount Prospect Deputy Fire Chief Brian Lambel will become the village’s next fire chief on an interim basis, effective Thursday, Oct. 1, after Fire Chief John Malcolm retires Oct. 9. Lambel, 46, who has been with the department for almost 16 years, was promoted to deputy chief at the beginning of June.
Malcolm is taking the chief’s job in Northwest suburban Lake Zurich.
According to Acting Village Manager David Strahl, Mount Prospect will evaluate Lambel’s performance as interim chief before deciding whether or not to make him the department’s day-to-day leader on a permanent basis.
With Lambel’s promotion, Lt. John Dolan will be promoted to deputy chief, which Strahl said could also be on an interim basis. Dolan, 53, has been with the department for 19 years. He will begin his duties as deputy the week of Oct. 5.
Lambel said he and Malcolm have begun working together to allow for a smooth transition.
According to Lambel, it will be a busy final three months of 2015 for himself and the department. The department is in the midst of hiring six firefighters as part of the Staffing for Adequate Fire & Emergency Response (SAFER) grant that will allow Engine 13 at the downtown station to be put back into service. The department is also going through a lieutenant promotional process.
Lambel said he and Dolan recently met and came up with new objectives or a new strategic plan for the fire department. “One of the big things we will emphasize is training and education as well as empowerment of all employees to give them more responsibilities and increase accountability,” Lambel said.
Another big thing, according to Lambel, is the department is evaluating its community risk reduction program. The program determines what the needs of the community are and how the department can provide support to reduce injuries and harm to residents and business owners.
Other objectives Lambel said the department will pursue include reevaluating operations, making sure there is a proper succession plan in place and preparing for the future in terms of short- and long-term goals to accommodate an ever-changing fire service.
A retirement party will be held for Malcolm on Oct. 9 at Fire Station 13 on Northwest Highway. A resolution is expected to be read in honor of Malcolm for his years of service at the Tuesday, Oct. 6 village board meeting.
