Excerpts from the KaneCountyChronicle.com:
The Fox River and Countryside Fire/Rescue District Board is expected to appoint a chief of operations at a special meeting Tuesday, Aug. 25.
Board President Jim Gaffney said the individual does not replace Chief Greg Benson, who has assumed that role since 2011. Rather, he said, this person will concentrate on the district’s two stations and the operations at those stations. The district is trying to “isolate the two positions to get certain things accomplished,” Gaffney said.
Gaffney declined to name the individual Monday but said he will be introduced at Tuesday’s meeting, which is set for 6:30 p.m. at Station 3, 34W500 Carl Lee Road, St. Charles Township. The agenda includes the chief of operations’ appointment, introduction and contract approval.
The chief of operations will start Wednesday, Gaffney said.
In addition to the station in St. Charles Township, Fox River and Countryside has a station along Route 64 in Campton Hills. The district serves about 25,000 residents across 38 square miles that include Wayne, Campton Hills and St. Charles Township.
Greg Benson – who has served as the Fox River and Countryside Fire/Rescue District’s chief since its 2011 launch – will retire by the end of October, the district announced Wednesday in a news release. The district previously was considered a paper district that contracted services from the city of St. Charles.
The district has appointed Carl DeLeo as chief of operations. He will oversee anything having to do with safety, including the stations and the firefighters Board President Jim Gaffney said and that the district chose the title in the event it someday wants to hire someone strictly for the administrative aspects.
DeLeo is a 30-year veteran of the Lisle/Woodridge Fire Protection District, where he retired with the rank of captain.
