Western Springs Fire Chief Retiring

WESTERN SPRINGS, IL — After nearly four decades as a firefighter, Western Springs Fire Chief Patrick Kenny plans to retire next month. He has served 20 years as a fire chief, the last nine in Western Springs.

After Kenny retires, Deputy Chief Michael Kelly is set to become the chief of fire and emergency medical services, according to a village news release. Kelly, who has 34 years as a firefighter, previously was chief of the Hinsdale Fire Department and assistant chief of the Bartlett Fire Protection District.

According to the release. Kenny, who also heads the village's emergency medical services, led the department through a time of major growth and change. He is considered a champion of the paid-on-call model that is the basis for firefighter recruitment used to staff the department to this day.

In 2003, Kenny was designated a "chief fire officer" by the Center for Public Safety Excellence — of which there were less than 1,000 worldwide at the time, the news release said.

In 2004, he was awarded Fire Chief of the Year by the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association. He also recently published a book titled "Taking the Cape Off" and plans to continue to promote discussions of mental health, grief and loss.

Also retiring in January is Patrick Gallagher, the training chief. He has 42 years of experience, including eight years in Western Springs. He was honored as 2019 Instructor of the Year by the Illinois Society of Fire Service Instructors. His successor will be Lt. Karl Hammond, who has been with the department since 2012, according to the village news release.

For the deputy chief's job, Western Springs recently hired Brian Scott, with 27 years of experience. He is now the chief of the Evanston Fire Department. He previously served in the Hinsdale Fire Department.