Elmhurst Fire Chief Gone; Interim Leader Named

ELMHURST, IL – Elmhurst Fire Chief Bill Anaszewicz has left after 27 years at the fire department, the city said.

In a brief news release Tuesday afternoon, the city announced the exit of Anaszewicz, calling him the "former chief." It said Anaszewicz resigned from his position after finding a new employment opportunity, which the news release did not detail.

According to the release, City Manager Jim Grabowski appointed Richard Dufort as the interim fire chief. He is a 30-year veteran of the department, with more than a decade of leadership experience, the city said.

“Battalion Chief Dufort has the knowledge and experience to support the department through this transition,” Grabowski said in the news release.

He said nothing about Anaszewicz.

In October, Anaszewicz became the permanent chief in October after a unanimous City Council vote. He was the acting chief for a year and a half.

It was unclear how much notice Anaszewicz gave. Patch left messages with Anaszewicz and the city's spokeswoman.

Anaszewicz's predecessor, Tom Freeman, also left quickly. He gave four days' notice before retiring in 2021, though he praised the city government in his resignation letter. In that case, the city did not announce the chief's departure until the next week, although Patch reported it on his last day.

In December, some City Council members pondered scaling back the fire department.

"There are several of us on the City Council who already feel that the city of Elmhurst has too much fire equipment," Alderwoman Noel Talluto said.

In 2021, the City Council majority clashed with the firefighters union over advanced life support equipment. Firefighters wanted such gear on city fire trucks, while aldermen said it was enough that the city's private ambulance service had it.