While the Board of Trustees is ultimately responsible for the District’s operations, the Administration Division is charged with managing its daily operations. The Division includes the Fire Chief, the Deputy Chief of Operations, and the Deputy Chief of Support Services.
These three chiefs supervise other officers, firemedics, and staff responsible for specific areas of the District’s daily operations. In addition to that supervision, some of the other functions of the Division include budgeting, personnel management, staff development, intergovernmental relations, and public affairs. The three administrative chiefs also respond to local and mutual aid calls to provide command support during emergency operations.
Administrative Chiefs
Chuck Smith
Fire Chief
Serving Since 1997
Fire Officer 2/Paramedic
BS Fire Service Management, Southern Illinois University
AAS Fire Science Technology, College of Lake County
Blue Card Command
Fire Apparatus Engineer
Fire Prevention Officer 1
Juvenile Firesetter Intervention Specialist
Diver
Sonar Technician
Wildland Firefighter
Lake & McHenry County Fire Departments Sonar Team
Lake & McHenry County Fire Departments Wildland Team
Member, Illinois Fire Chiefs Association
Member, Lake County Fire Chiefs A
Ed Heinz
Deputy Chief - Support Services
Serving Since 2000
Chief Fire Officer/Paramedic
BS Fire Science
AAS Fire Science Technology
Blue Card Command
Fire Apparatus Engineer
Fire Department Health &
Safety Officer
Fire Department Incident
Safety Officer
Hazmat Technician
Wildland Firefighter
Emergency Operations Planning
Health & Safety Officer
Lake & McHenry County Fire Departments Hazmat Team
Ron Echtenacher
Deputy Chief - Operations
Serving Since 2003
Fire Officer 2/Paramedic
BS Fire Service
Management
AS Fire Science
Blue Card Command
Fire Apparatus Engineer
Fire Prevention Officer 1
Fire Department Incident
Safety Officer
Technical Rescue Tech
Training Program Manager
Member, Illinois Society of
Fire Service Instructors
Shift Training
Paid-on-Premise Program
Lake & McHenry County
Fire Departments
Technical Rescue Team