Next Harlem-Roscoe Fire chief named, Chief Don Shoevlin will retire

Battalion Chief Patrick Trollop will become the new chief of the Harlem-Roscoe Fire Protection District beginning January 1, 2023, after current Fire Chief Don Shoevlin retires at the end of the year. The Board of Trustees of the Harlem-Roscoe Fire Department made the announcement late Tuesday afternoon.

When Chief Shoevlin notified the Board that he was ending his 32 year career with HRFD after filling the top role for 15 years, the HRFD Board turned to an outside consultant with the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association Assessment Service to find a replacement.  Founded in 1951 by nine fire chiefs, the IFCA is skilled in the recruitment and assessment of potential candidates for senior-level leaders in the fire service industry. Candidates were put through a rigorous virtual and in-person testing and interview process to provide an objective evaluation of each candidate’s qualifications and expertise in meeting the criteria established by the HRFD Board.

This IFCA process led to an interview with the HRFD Board, who said, "Mr. Trollop clearly demonstrated he has the necessary leadership style, personality, and vision for the future that would be a great fit for our community, HRFD members, and our future."

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Battalion Chief Trollop joined the HRFD in 2012. Before that, he spent five years with a private ambulance service in the Rockford area. Coming into the HRFD as an EMT-B, he became a paramedic in 2013. He was promoted to lieutenant in 2015 and to captain in 2019. He was sworn in as a full-time Battalion Chief on July 27, 2020. He has been named Firefighter of the Year twice.

Trollop also served in the United States Marine Corps from 1998-2002. During tours in the Far East and the Middle East, he achieved the rank of Corporal and became an infantry squad leader.

Trollop has a bachelor’s degree in Public Safety Management from Southern Illinois University. He is a graduate of the Managing Officer Training Program through the National Fire Academy, part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). He and his wife Becky were married in 2019, seven years after he joined the HRFD. They have two children.