7-26-2023 10:07am

Changes and promotions at Harlem-Roscoe Fire

Michael McGinnis Editor

Acting Harlem-Roscoe Fire Chief John Bergeron

On July 18, 2023, the Harlem-Roscoe Board of Trustees accepted the resignation of Fire Chief Patrick Trollop. Trollop took on the role in December 2022, after ten years with the department, upon the retirement of former Chief Don Shoevlin. The Board of Trustees announced that it "appreciates Chief Trollop’s many years of service to the District and wishes him well in his future endeavors." The department has signed a non-disclosure agreement and has no further comment.

In the meantime, the Board has appointed John Bergeron as Acting Chief "until a decision on a permanent replacement is made." Bergeron, a lifelong resident of Roscoe, joined the department as a cadet in 1981 after graduating from Hononegah High School. He has been Deputy Chief of Administration since 2009. John serves on the Region 1 EMS Advisory Committee, as Vice President of MABAS Division 8, member of the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association and past President of Winnebago Fire Chiefs Association.

At a ceremony on Monday, July 24, 2023, acting Fire Chief John Bergeron and Deputy Chief of Operations Kevin Briggs helped Harlem-Roscoe Fire trustees Bart Munger, John Donahue, and Al Bach as they recognized several promotions:

Battalion Chief Jeff Grant to Division Chief of Training
Capt. Mike Huffman to Battalion Chief
Firefighter Cecilia Young to Lieutenant

Six were sworn in as probationary firefighters: Jacob Kruckenburg, Aaron Kaszcuk, Caleb Pillow, Marty Taufer, Cooper Jevremovic, and Kyle Briggs.

Three firefighters were given their black helmets in honor of completing their probationary period: Zander Vanderheyden, Madison West, and Lucas Burbach.

New Division Chief of Training Jeff Grant began his tenure at the Harlem-Roscoe Fire Department on December 19, 2022 as Battalion Chief, after retiring as Captain/Shift Commander from the Lake Zurich Fire Department. Jeff began his fire service career in July 1987 with the Rolling Meadows Fire Department, focusing on training and development. He holds numerous certifications in Haz-Mat, Trench, High Angle, Structural Collapse, and Confined Space rescue. In MABAS Division 4, he has been active in the Dive Rescue, Hazardous Materials and the Specialized Rescue Team.

New Battalion Chief Mike Huffman joined Harlem-Roscoe in the fall of 2000 and was promoted to Captain almost nine years ago. He is an expert in extrication. Mike is the co founder of Auto X, a mobile training unit / company that travels throughout the Midwest teaching vehicle extrication. His workshops have titles such as Crunch Time, Bus Bash, Hand to Hand Combat, and The Art of Making Space.