Excerpts from the Dailyherald.com:

The Long Grove Fire Protection District is pleased to announce the hiring of Paul Segalla as fire chief, effective Nov. 15.

Chief Segalla brings experience from an extensive fire service career and was selected after a comprehensive nationwide search.

Segalla’s fire career includes serving in Illinois for the Downers Grove Fire Department, Aurora Fire Department and Lockport Township Fire District and, in more recent years, serving as fire chief in the Los Angeles area for the City of West Covina, the Chino Valley Fire District, and the Upland-Montclair Fire Department.

Segalla earned a bachelor’s degree in fire administration from Western Illinois University and a master’s degree in public administration from Northern Illinois University. He has also completed the rigorous Executive Fire Officer course through the National Fire Academy.

Recruitment for the fire chief position was conducted by the Illinois Fire Chief’s Association Professional Evaluation and Assessment Service and yielded 24 applicants. The search and evaluation process was complex and collaborative, encompassing interviews by phone, video conferencing and in person; a comprehensive Assessment Center; and presentations by the top five applicants.

At the conclusion of this process, Chief Segalla was identified as the unanimous choice by the Long Grove Fire Protection District board of trustees.

The LGFPD has been operating under Interim Fire Chief David Riddle since March 2021.

The Long Grove Fire Protection District covers approximately 14 square miles with 12,000 residents in southern Lake and northern Cook Counties of Illinois. The area covered includes portions of five villages and three townships. The department is a combination of full-time sworn members and permanent paid-on-premise members.