Skokie Names New Fire Chief

A firefighter with nearly 30 years of experience with the Skokie Fire Department was named Fire Chief on Thursday.

James Walters, who has been Deputy Fire Chief for the last ten years, will begin in his new role August 7.

“I consider it a tremendous honor to be able to serve as the Fire Chief for the Village of Skokie, a wonderful community that has been an integral part of my life, and my family’s life, for nearly three decades,” Walters said. “I will uphold the tradition of excellence and best practices for which the Skokie Fire Department is known, providing the highest level of emergency response in the safest and most fiscally sound manner.”

Walters is an Illinois State Certified Fire Officer II and Instructor II. He further is a National Fire Protection Association-certified Fire Inspector, and is certified in incident command by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

“We are very fortunate to have a person with Jim’s background as Skokie’s new Fire Chief,” Village Manager John T.Lockerby said. “He has dedicated his professional career to public safety in the Village of Skokie, and has served the community with innovation and distinction.”

Walters will replace current Fire Chief Ralph Czerwinski, who has accepted the position of Village Administrator with the village of Morton Grove.