Excerpts from mysuburbanlife.com:
After 45 years in the fire service and three years running the New Lenox Fire Protection District, Steve Engledow will retire June 23.
He was a Joliet firefighter for 28 years and Troy fire chief for five years, said Thursday “it’s time for the younger group to take over.”
He said the Board of Fire Trustees will choose his replacement at a later date, but he will not be involved in the hiring process.
Engledow said he was hired in New Lenox to reorganize the department, splitting some jobs and condensing others while clarifying who some responsibilities were assigned to. He also enacted a line-item budget to control spending each year and implemented an equipment replacement schedule.
Engledow grew up in Harvey and moved to Frankfort when he was 15 – attending Lincoln-Way High School. Getting holiday shifts at an early job required joining the chemical factory’s fire brigade.
After serving as a Country Club Hills firefighter, he became a Joliet firefighter and eventually rose to deputy chief. He also served as a part-time assistant chief for the East Joliet Fire Department before taking over the Troy Fire Protection District.
He advises firefighters beginning their careers to pursue as much education as possible.
Engledow will be moving to South Carolina, where he has owned property for several years.
