Community Room Renamed To Honor Retiring Aurora Fire Chief

AURORA, IL — After 25 years — six as chief — with the Aurora Fire Department, Gary Krienitz will retire from the apartment Tuesday.

The retiring chief announced current Deputy Chief David McCabe as his successor during Thursday's City Council meeting. Operations Assistant Chief Dan Osman is set to replace McCabe as deputy chief.

City Council is set to vote on their appointments at Tuesday's meeting.

In honor of Krienitz's final day, Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin proclaimed every May 3 going forward as "Chief Gary Krienitz Day."

"Fire Chief Gary Krienitz is a man of faith, fairness, fortitude and fire signs at his finest," Irvin said as he read the May 3 proclamation. "[He] is a true Auroran, a devoted firefighter, and a proud graduate of Waubonsie Valley High School, a warrior. He's a warrior."

In accepting Irvin's proclamation, the retiring chief said he loves "the people of Aurora" the same way the fire department does.

"Over my six years as chief and 25 years in my career, we stand tall," Krienitz said at the meeting. "Aurora residents and citizens, know that you have a very strong fire department that is going to answer the call at any time, for any reason."

The mayor unveiled the proclamation during the same meeting that was packed with another surprise: renaming Fire Station 8's community room, off McCoy Drive, as the "Gary Krienitz Community Room."

Being a popular meeting space for community groups, as well as the bridge between Aurora's Customer Service Center and Fire Station 8, it was only fit to name it after the retiring chief whose mission was to unite the community and the fire department, city officials said.

Krienitz received a standing ovation from City Council and audience members after the room was unveiled.

"We will now have our meetings in the Krienitz Community Room in honor of a man who united us and kept moving this city forward to the best of his ability, with the best attitude all the time," Aurora Chief Communications Officer Clayton Muhammad said at the meeting.