Glenview Fire Chief Ralph Ensign Retires, 2 Deputy Chiefs Hired

From Village of Glenview: After more than four decades in the fire service, Glenview Fire Chief Ralph Ensign has announced his retirement.

"After 43 years in the fire service I have decided it is time to retire,” he said. “The personnel of the Glenview Fire Department are some of the best people I’ve ever worked with in my career and I am proud to have served with them.”

He started his fire service career as a firefighter/paramedic with the Winnetka Fire Department in 1976, after earning a bachelor’s degree in fire service management from Southern Illinois University, then joined the Highland Park Fire Department in 1978, was promoted to lieutenant in 1989 and was promoted to captain in 1991. He was hired as deputy fire chief in Glenview in 2008 and was promoted to chief in December 2014.

In November 2010, then-deputy fire chief Ensign was “loaned” to serve as Winnetka’s fire chief on a temporary basis, following the retirement of Fire Chief Scott Smith while that Village was awaiting the arrival of its new village manager. The arrangement lasted until January 31, 2011. Ensign has also been a paid-on-call and paid-on-premise firefighter with the Northfield Fire-Rescue Department, where his father retired as assistant chief in 1979.

“Chief Ensign has had a tremendous career serving the communities of Northfield, Highland Park and Glenview,” Glenview Village Manager Matt Formica said. “He has been a strong asset to Glenview and an all-around great person to work with. He is without a doubt an individual not easily replaced.”

Ensign was instrumental in the design and construction of Fire Station 6, which was moved from Glenview Road in the downtown area to 1215 Waukegan Road to make way for construction of Midtown Square; and planning the replacement for Fire Station 8 at 1901 Landwehr Road, construction for which should begin this year.

Also during his tenure, he helped implement a non-department student ride-a-long paramedic training program through Advocate Lutheran General Hospital and a smoke detector installation program for occupancies that did not have operating units. Ensign was a founding member of and assisted in the development of the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) Division III Hazardous Materials Response Team. MABAS Division III is a partnership of 19 north suburban communities to provide personnel, equipment and resources to one another when needed.

Ensign’s retirement follows the departure in June 2019 of Deputy Fire Chief Paul Klicker, who after serving more than 24 years with the Glenview Fire Department took the fire chief’s position with the Spring Grove Fire Protection District. The transition in the fire department’s leadership is being handled for now with the hiring of two new deputy fire chiefs.

Tony DeRose has been hired as deputy fire chief and will also be serving as interim fire chief. DeRose comes to the Village with 19 years of experience in the fire service, currently serving as Battalion Chief for the Countryside Fire Department. His permanent appointment to the position of fire chief will be evaluated in six to 12 months.

Mike Rutkowski has been hired as deputy fire chief. Rutkowski comes to the Village with 20 years of experience in the fire service, currently serving as battalion chief for the Grayslake Fire Department. The change in leadership “represents an opportunity for new beginnings, to move forward, and continue efforts to make the department better,” Village Manager Formica said. DeRose and Rutkowski “bring an open, participatory leadership style focused on inclusion, communication and group thinking that builds on the department’s teamwork.”

Image Courtesy of Village of Glenview