New Lenox Fire District Promotes Lieutenant, Battalion Chief

NEW LENOX, IL — Two members of the New Lenox Fire Protection District were recently promoted to fill the vacant positions of battalion chief and lieutenant. The fire district said Ryan Hall has been promoted to battalion chief, and Joseph Ward is the new lieutenant.

Both will begin their new roles on June 27.

The fire district said Hall has been in the fire service for 20 years, 15 of those with New Lenox. His previous roles include lieutenant at station 3, fire/arson investigator, EMS coordinator, Combine Area Response Team member and the firefighter union treasurer.

Ward has been in the fire service for nine years, all of those with New Lenox, the fire district said. He has previously served as dive team captain, water rescue, engineer, red shift union steward and as a cadet mentor.

“These promotions were all well-deserved,” Fire Chief Adam Riegel said in a release. “Both Ryan Hall and Joe Ward have worked extremely hard to get to where they are, and we couldn’t be prouder of them for their efforts.”

The district said Hall and Ward had to through an assessment center conducted by the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association to be placed on an eligibility list. Each list is good for three years, and then the process is repeated. When positions are vacated, the district promotes candidates from these lists.