Excerpts from the rblandmark.com:
The North Riverside mayor announced on Aug. 27 that he’s hired a new permanent fire chief, following heated criticism both online and in person at last week’s village board meeting regarding his choice for interim chief.
The new chief will take over from Scott Boman, who has served as the North Riverside Fire Department’s interim chief since July 13, when the mayor abruptly terminated Chief Tom Gaertner and Deputy Chief Pat Schey after just seven months. Boman had been slated to be sworn in at the North Riverside Village Board’s Aug. 13 meeting, but it didn’t happen.
John Kiser, who for the past two years has served as chief of operations for the Cook County Department of Homeland Security, will start in his new post on Sept. 1. He will be sworn in at the village’s board’s Sept. 4 meeting. A Forest View resident, Kiser was hired as regional coordinator for the Cook County Department of Homeland Security in 2014 and was promoted to chief of operations two years later. Since 2002, he has been a commander for the Forest View Fire Department, serving part time in that capacity since 2014, when Forest View dissolved their full-time department.
Kiser has also served as a water rescue course coordinator and fire, rescue and HAZMAT instructor at the Romeoville Fire Academy. He got his start in the fire service in 1994 as a paid-on-call firefighter in Riverside, where he was also employed as a contract paramedic firefighter through the village’s private paramedic service, PSSI, now known as PSI.
Kiser said he’s aware of the labor situation, but said he was up for the challenge. “I’m excited for the opportunity and look forward to the challenge in front of us,” Kiser said. “No fire department job out there is perfect. All organizations have their challenges. … We’ll take the challenges head on and let the chips fall where they may.”
thanks Dan
