A longtime Oak Lawn firefighter was named the new fire chief at the village board meeting Tuesday night.
David Wheeler has been a firefighter for 35 years with 25 of those years in Oak Lawn.
He is a certified chief fire officer through the Illinois State Fire Marshal, and is the past president of the Illinois Fire Inspector Association.
Wheeler was most recently appointed deputy fire chief earlier this summer.
During the board meeting, Wheeler was sworn in as the village’s new fire chief by Village Clerk Claire Henning.
“I look forward to working with the board,” Wheeler said. “I appreciate serving this community and making this village a safe place.”
Patrick Kehoe was sworn in to become the new deputy fire chief. Kehoe spent 35 years with the Chicago Fire Department, where he retired as a battalion chief paramedic.
Both Wheeler and Kehoe were surrounded by family and friends at the August 26 meeting.
Attending the event was Kehoe’s father, Patrick Kehoe Sr., an Oak Lawn resident who had served 35 years for the fire department and retired as a deputy commissioner of operations.
The board also approved the promotions of a new captain, lieutenant, and engineer to the fire department to fill vacancies. The board also approved the appointment of an additional firefighter/paramedic.