Following a nearly three decadeslong career with the Franklin Park Fire Department, former Chief William Brehm was honored at the Dec. 19 Village Board meeting for his years of service.
Brehm, 52, retired Oct. 31 after serving 29 years with the department — including the last eight years as chief.
Mayor Barrett Pedersen presented Brehm with a certified copy of the village resolution that chronicled his years as a firefighter and emergency medical technician.
In 1986, at age 16, Brehm started as a cadet with the Lake Zurich Rescue Squad. Following his EMT and firefighter training at age 18, he worked as a paid on-call fireman and was in the Army National Guard, which included service in Iraq during Operation Desert Shield, according to a village biography of his career.
Brehm joined the Franklin Park Fire Department in 1993, working his way through the ranks as lieutenant, battalion chief and, ultimately, department chief in 2014.
“I am truly honored and lucky to have worked with and in the village of Franklin Park,” Brehm said. “It’s been a joy to come to work every day, especially with my crews and officers who are all so highly trained, motivated and talented and who made my job easy. It’s also been great having the support and teamwork of the village administration and with a mayor like Barrett who trusts his staff to get the job done without needing to be involved with all aspects of day-to-day operations.”
Pedersen praised Brehm as “always being available for community events and volunteering often for anything that benefitted the village. His leadership was instrumental in balancing the needs of his firefighters with the needs of the community. He will be missed.”
Pedersen said that under Brehm’s guidance, the village received several letters of praise from Loyola University Medical Center about Franklin Park firefighter paramedics whose training and actions saved patient lives.
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“I can attest to that,” said Mark Cichon, Loyola Medicine department chair of emergency medicine. “It has been an honor to work with Chief Brehm and all our municipal leaders, and we look forward to continue working with future leaders in our combined efforts for the communities we serve. Many may not know his name, but they have benefited from his efforts.”
Brehm’s accomplishments also include earning a bachelor’s degree in fire science from Western Illinois University and a state certification of chief fire officer — a master’s degree equivalent program and highest certification level of firefighter training, according to his career bio.
He also negotiated two union contracts, supervised emergency services throughout the worst stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and worked on custom feature designs for fire department vehicles like ambulances and a ladder truck, according to village officials.
Taking over for Brehm as the new fire chief is Mark Stewart, 52.
The former battalion chief has 28 years of experience with the village fire department. Like Brehm, Stewart also is a state-certified chief fire officer.
In addition, Stewart has been a state-licensed paramedic since 1991. He is a technical rescue team leader and supervisor, and is also trained in water rescue and hazardous materials handling.
Stewart and his wife have one daughter and have been residents of Franklin Park since 1995, according to village-provided information about the new chief.
“My goal for this department is to continue developing the members working up through the ranks,” Stewart said. “I’ve always been the type of leader who likes to put responsibility on the members and to help them develop and become better firefighters or fire officers than I ever was.
“Chief Brehm was a leader who put the members first,” Stewart said. “He always wanted to do what was right for the department. Not just for the individual, but for everyone.”
Brehm said it was a great feeling to receive his commendation at the Village Board meeting.
“I loved how appreciative everyone was,” he said. “It was a little unusual having the firefighters, department heads and trustees all together, like having several families all in one place, and everyone happy for you. I really just feel blessed, contented and will always be grateful to Franklin Park to have had this amazing opportunity.”
Gary Gibula is a freelancer.