Flossmoor To Appoint New Fire Chief

FLOSSMOOR, IL — Flossmoor is getting a new fire chief. At Monday evening's village board meeting, Mayor Paul Braun will appoint Robert Kopec to the position of Fire Chief of the Flossmoor Fire Department effective April 5, according to the village.

The village said Kopec was selected from a competitive pool of candidates following a recruitment process by the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association. The position comes with lifting the responsibilities from Interim Fire Chief Greg Berk.

In Flossmoor, the Fire Chief is selected through mayoral appointment, with a confirming vote by the Village Board of Trustees. The position reports on a day-to-day basis to the Village Manager.

According to the village, Kopec will join the Flossmoor Fire Department after serving as Deputy Fire Chief and Fire Chief for seven years in the City of Country Club Hills Fire Department.

“Robert Kopec comes to us with more than 20 years in fire service and an impressive resume,” Mayor Braun said. “He proved to be the top candidate and will be a valuable asset to the Village of Flossmoor. He left myself and the Village trustees with little question that he will be an excellent fit as Flossmoor’s Fire Chief.”

According to the village, prior to serving as Fire Chief for the Country Club Hills Fire Department, Kopec held a number of roles including Deputy Chief and Captain with the Beecher Fire Protection District. He also has experience with the Markham Fire Department, Harvey Fire Department and the Thornton Fire Department. Chief Kopec also holds a Chief Fire Officer certification from the Illinois State Fire Marshal Office, the village said.

The village said Kopec holds an associate’s degree in fire science from Columbia Southern University and an Emergency medical technician license from South Suburban College. He also holds a number of professional certifications including a Firefighter III certification, HazMat training, Fire Service Instructor.

Kopec has served in a number of different department settings throughout his career, but one thing he looks forward to in joining the Flossmoor Fire Department is the balance of volunteer firefighters, part-time firefighters and full-time firefighters in the Department, the village said.

“One of the things that intrigued me most about Flossmoor is that it’s a combination department and I really like that style of department,” Kopec said. “As a combination department, we can introduce cadet programs and train and hire the next generation of firefighters right in house. It is a department that we can bring a young person on-board and guide them through the entire process, starting with cadet to volunteer to paid on-call. The ultimate goal is to hire them on a part-time or full-time basis. Unfortunately, not many career departments have that opportunity.”

Village Manager Bridget Wachtel said Kopec "stood out" among others that applied for the job.

“Bob Kopec stood out among a plethora of strong candidates based on his nearly two decades of experience, but also because of the energy and new ideas he’s interested in bringing to the Village of Flossmoor. Bob understands the importance of our department’s regional relationships and his time spent with the Country Club Hills Fire Department, as one of our regional training partners, will be incredibly valuable in providing a smooth transition to his position of Fire Chief in Flossmoor.”

With the appointment of Chief Kopec, the Village said it is extending a sincere thank you to Interim Fire Chief Greg Berk, who came out of retirement to serve the Village of Flossmoor.