Flossmoor Fire Chief Appointed

Press release from the Village of Flossmoor:

FLOSSMOOR, Ill. – March 12, 2021 – At Monday’s Village Board meeting, Mayor Paul Braun appointed Robert Kopec to the position of Fire Chief of the Flossmoor Fire Department effective April 5, lifting the responsibilities from Interim Fire Chief Greg Berk. Kopec was selected from a competitive pool of candidates following a recruitment process by the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association.

In Flossmoor, the position of Fire Chief is a 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. The Village Board of Trustees unanimously approved the appointment of Kopec, who joins the Flossmoor Fire Department after serving as Deputy Fire Chief and Fire Chief for seven years at 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,” said Mayor Braun. “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.”

Prior to serving as Fire Chief for the Country Club Hills Fire Department, Chief Kopec held a number of roles including Deputy Chief and Captain with the Beecher Fire Protection District, as well as 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.

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

As a career fire service member, Chief Kopec has served in a number of different department settings, 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.

“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,” said Chief Kopec. “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 commented, “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 would also like to extend a sincere thank you to Interim Fire Chief Greg Berk, who came out of retirement to serve the Village of Flossmoor.

This press release was produced by the Village of Flossmoor. The views expressed here are the author’s own.