Oak Lawn Taps 24-Year Veteran As New Fire Chief

OAK LAWN, IL — A veteran Oak Lawn firefighter has been promoted to chief of the Oak Lawn Fire Department. Michael McMillin was sworn in as chief during Tuesday’s village board meeting.

McMillin has been serving as interim fire chief since February. He has served with the village fire department since March 2000, He resides in the far south suburbs with his wife, Kate, a middle school teacher, and their two children, Lucas and Karli.

He was appointed to the position of battalion chief in 2017. McMillin served as assistant chief of operations, training and safety in 2021, prior to being tapped earlier this year as interim chief.

McMillan has earned a master’s degree in public safety administration from Lewis University, and is certified as a chief fire officer by the Illinois Office of the State Fire Marshal.

The new fire chief thanked his family, village staff, and the mayor and village trustees after being sworn in by Village Clerk Claire Henning.

“All these guys standing in the back are the ones going out there and actually doing the work,” McMillin said. “They are the ones I give the most credit to because I wouldn’t be able to do this job successfully without them, from the shift workers and shift officers to my bureau chiefs.”