Introducing new Fire Chief Schadle

By Anne Eickstadt

REPORTER

BFD PHOTO Belvidere Republican
Chief Shawn Schadle is flanked by newly promoted Capt. Chad Cunningham and Lt. Travis Tangye. The three men all received their new promotions during the same ceremony.

“It’s very exciting,” said Belvidere Fire Department Chief Shawn Schadle. “This is a wonderful opportunity to serve in this capacity and work for the Belvidere community. Belvidere is a great community that provides a tremendous amount of support to public safety services. People care about each other – churches, schools, places of employment, parks, parades – it’s a wonderful place to live.

“The chance to lead the Belvidere Fire Department, whose mission is to help people at the time of their greatest need, is extremely fulfilling. The guys are awesome at what they do. Every day, as I watch them do what they do, I am impressed. The way they handle fire and medical calls, public events, the way they train even on days when they are overwhelmed with calls…

“Even today, we had the promotion ceremony for three of us, some of the firefighters performed as Honor Guard for the ceremony, we have been handling calls for medical services and smoke scares, and they are still out there training at 3:30 in the afternoon, in the heat, in full turnout gear in a building that is scheduled to be demolished tomorrow. They did not want to lose the opportunity to train in an unfamiliar building, with hazards such as they might face during a fire event.

“The BFD is a wonderful department and the guys do a great job. This is a fabulous place to serve as chief. I am excited about the future. Belvidere is starting to grow again. I think the next 10 years will see significant growth in Belvidere.

“One thing I am planning on doing, is analyzing call data – the times and locations. I will be asking myself – Are we in the best position to serve the community now or do we need to do something different? When the data is showing that we need to make changes, grow, or change the way we operate, I will do my best to update the city council and make them aware of what the community needs and why we need to change.

“Until the city council made up their minds and made the decision as to who would follow Chief Al Hyser as the new fire chief, these ideas have only been possibilities in my thoughts. Now that I have been named as the new chief of the Belvidere Fire Dept., I can see them as probabilities and can firm up my ideas as to how the future of the department will look.

“However, I have to start with the new shifts created by the promotions within the BFD. With my shift from captain to chief, Chad Cunningham has shifted from lieutenant to take the position of captain, and Travis Tangye has shifted to take over the lieutenant position. I have to start by defining and clarifying their positions and new responsibilities. I need to make it clear what their new roles and responsibilities are and make sure that everything is covered by someone with the tools to complete their new positions. While I have full confidence that they are completely capable of handling their new responsibilities, I want to ensure that everything continues to be covered and nothing falls through the cracks as we all settle into our new jobs.

“I would like to thank Mayor Morris for choosing me to lead the Belvidere Fire Department Thank you for believing in me enough to give me the opportunity to serve in this capacity. Thank you also to Chief Al Hyser for believing in me and ensuring I was prepared for this position when he decided to retire.

“The Belvidere Fire Department works very well with all the emergency services in Boone County and exceptionally well with the different Boone County fire districts. I look forward to continuing all our great relationships with these agencies in the future and increasing our abilities to work together.”