Homewood Fire Deputy Chief To Retire After 2 Decades Of Service: Village

HOMEWOOD, IL — Longtime Homewood Fire Deputy Chief Steve DeJong is retiring, making a career in fire service spanning more than two decades, the Village of Homewood announced Wednesday.

The Village of Homewood announces the retirement of Deputy Fire Chief Steve DeJong, marking the end of a distinguished career in fire service spanning more than two decades. DeJong will transition into his next chapter of service as Administrative Section Chief for MABAS Illinois.

DeJong was hired by the Homewood Fire Department on Nov. 27, 2000. As a firefighter/paramedic, DeJong became a highly respected member of several specialized teams during his tenure at the Homewood Fire Department. Those special teams included the department’s dive and rescue and hazardous materials teams.

In 2013, DeJong was promoted to lieutenant and later that same year to deputy chief, where he played a key role in leading operations, mentoring personnel and advancing training initiatives within the department.

Beyond Homewood, DeJong served as an instructor for Prairie State College and the University of Illinois, helping to train the next generation of emergency responders. He was also actively involved in the State of Illinois’ incident management team and served as an incident commander on large-scale responses, including the 2019 Southern Illinois floods, Hurricane Ian and the Southwest Border Mission in Chicago.

In addition to his fire service career, DeJong served his country in the United States Army. He enlisted in 1993 and was deployed to Afghanistan from 2004 to 2005, where he was wounded in action and awarded a Purple Heart medal. He later served a second deployment to Iraq from 2007 to 2009 and retired with the rank of Command Sergeant Major in 2015.

"Deputy Chief DeJong has been an exceptional leader, mentor and firefighter throughout his career with the Homewood Fire Department," said Fire Chief Bob Grabowski. "His commitment to service, both here in our community and in the United States Army, speaks volumes about his character.

"Steve has helped shape this department into what it is today, and his impact will be felt for years to come. We are grateful for his dedication and wish him nothing but the best in retirement."

Throughout his career, DeJong has demonstrated unwavering professionalism, leadership and dedication to public service, the Village said. His impact on the Homewood Fire Department and the broader emergency response community will be felt for years to come.

"The Village extends its sincere gratitude to Deputy Chief DeJong for his service and wishes him all the best in his retirement," officials said in a release.