New Fire Chief Sworn In At Impromptu Ceremony

New leadership is officially in place at the . Mayor Suzanne Branding officially swore in former Deputy Chief Dave Wheelock as fire chief on Monday night during an impromptu ceremony at Fire Station No. 1.

Wheelock was set to be sworn in at the normally scheduled Village Board meeting, but it was canceled due to a lack of quorum.

Of the seven-member board, Trustees Jonathan Sprawka and Dana Rzeznik were out of town, Trustee Rich Sustich was excused due to recovering from a broken leg, and former Trustee Mark Ernst who resigned July 31, has yet to be replaced.

Wheelock was named interim fire chief at the July 5 Village Board meeting. Since then, he met with a number of trustees, as well as Mayor Branding and Village Administrator Bob Vitas, as a way for both sides to get to know each other better.

“They wanted a sense of my history and an idea of where I would take the department,” Wheelock said. “I believe they all see that we have a strong base here.”

As far as plans for the future, Wheelock says one goal is to bring public education for residents even further into the community.

“I want to bring even more information to the public in regards to fire safety and disaster preparedness,” Wheelock said.

He plans to utilize new technology and even social media to get information out to younger generations.

Wheelock added that he will have an open-door policy and will ask for new ideas, while he takes steps forward to reinvigorate the department. And someone who would know believes Wheelock will be successful at it.

“I was hoping Dave would get the job; it is well-deserved. He was a solid support for me through every decision in the 21 years we worked together; he paid his dues and knows this department inside out,” said former Fire Chief Terry Mastandrea. “Now he can spread his wings and bring new life to the department with fresh ideas.”

Wheelock served as second in command during Mastandrea’s 21 years as fire chief.  

“More than 20 years can be good in many ways, but it also has its downsides,” Wheelock said. “We as a department have to make sure we are open to change when it is for the better.”

The swearing-in ceremony was brief, but very well-attended. The entire fire department was on hand, along with family members and friends totaling more than 75 people. 

“I was very pleased to swear in Dave as our new chief; he is seasoned and completely ready to take over the leadership of the fire department,” said Branding.

Mayor Branding appointed Wheelock as fire chief, with approval of the village board.

Becoming Lake Zurich's fire chief is the culmination of a 32-year public safety career for Wheelock. He began as a cadet while attending , and immediately went on to paramedic school.

“I always knew this was what I wanted to do,” Wheelock said.

There are four captains in the , one of whom could take over Wheelock’s former position as deputy fire chief.

Wheelock said no decisions on his replacement have been made yet.