Excerpts from the RBlandmark.com:
North Riverside Fire Chief John Kiser resigned from his post Sept. 3. The village hired Bob McDermott, who is retiring from a 32-year career as a firefighter in Forest Park at the end of the month. While both Kiser and the North Riverside mayor said the parting of the ways was mutual, the timing was unexpected and things came together very rapidly this week.
McDermott, 53, a Forest Park native and Nazareth Academy graduate who lives in LaGrange Park, was elevated to fire chief in Forest Park in 2016 after 11 years as deputy chief. He started his career as a full-time firefighter there in 1988. He will split his time between North Riverside and Forest Park through the end of September, but reported for his first day in North Riverside on Sept. 4.
Previously, a years’ long feud between village government and union firefighters peaked during a five-year campaign to privatize the fire service in North Riverside. The lengthy court battle, which started in the summer of 2014 and resulted in expensive and seemingly endless litigation and labor complaints, ended in December 2019 when the two sides inked a seven-year contract that expires next April 30. McDermott was well aware of that history when he decided to take the job, saying both the mayor and village administrator assured him that battle was over.
thanks Dennis
