Excerpts from the DailyHerald.com:

Wearing his dress uniform, Mundelein Fire Chief Tim Sashko bid farewell to the firefighters under his command Thursday in a traditional walkout ceremony.  Sashko, 56, is leaving his hometown department after seven years as its leader. He has been hired as the executive director of the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association.

Firefighters from Fox Lake, Grayslake, Long Grove, and other communities attended the event. About 100 local residents, elected officials, volunteers and other people were in the audience, too.

Thursday’s ceremony was a solemn one. The members of the department stood in formation on one side of the bay, joined by the visiting firefighters and chiefs.

A lone bagpiper, Chicago firefighter Dave Johnson, played the pipes as Sashko and his wife, Jennifer, entered the bay for the ceremony. Deputy Chief Tim Leidig spoke about the various firefighting traditions and the importance of a chief’s walkout.

“It is every firefighter’s goal to walk out with pride and in the same condition he walked in,” explained Leidig, who takes over as interim chief.

Afterward, Sashko inspected his firefighters one last time, shaking hands and sharing hugs as he walked the length of the bay.

… his sons, Mundelein firefighter Brad Sashko and Naperville firefighter Kevin Sashko [presented him with a commerorative flag].

thanks Dan

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