Professional Experience

Alan has 38 years of fire service experience. He started his career with the Chicago Fire Department as a Paramedic before joining the Evanston Fire Department in 1981 as a Firefighter/Paramedic. He became Chief of the Department in 2004. Retiring from the Evanston Fire Department in 2010, Alan became Fire Chief for a suburban fire department in 2011 and is currently serving in that capacity.

During his tenure with Evanston, Alan served for 10 years as the Fire Marshal, dealing with highrises, stadiums, hospitals and many other complex structures. He was instrumental in identifying halogen lamps as fire hazards and problems with carbon monoxide detectors when they first became publically available. During this period, Alan achieved his Arson Investigator certification.

Alan has served as an instructor for Oakton Community College, Northeastern Illinois Public Safety Training Academy, and the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association teaching Fire Officer I, Fire Oficer II, and Fire Prevention Programs. He currently instructs the Personal & Professional Development module for the Illinois Office of the State Fire Marshal’s Chief Fire Officer curriculum and serves as an instructor for the Illinois Tactical Officers Association’s Rescue Task Force Curriculum.

Education and Training

Alan earned an Associate Degree in Fire Science from Oakton Community College and Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees from National Louis University.

Alan has served as President of the Illinois Mutual Aid Box Alarm System Division 3 and as the Vice President of the Northeastern Illinois Public Safety Training Academy.

Awards and Accomplishments

Alan is the recipient of the 2002 Wayne Leucht Humanitarian Award and the 2016 Illinois Fire Safety Alliance Life-Safety Award.