New Orland Fire Chief Looks to Earn Trust of Firefighers and Public

Leading up to Monday, little was known publicly about Ken Brucki, the man who now commands one of the largest fire protection districts in the country.

In one year, he went from lieutenant in Pleasantview to chief of the . But to hear him tell it, rank means less than leadership.

“This is a quality I hope to nurture here at Orland,” he said, “because I recognize that at any given moment, any of our personnel can be called upon to lead through character, skill and knowledge for the community and the residents that we serve.”

Brucki, 44, of Orland Park, was sworn-in Monday before friends and family, politicians and priests, announcing to colleagues old and new that “my job is to look at the big picture and prepare for the great Anything Can Happen.”

He began his career on a whim as a volunteer firefighter for Merrionette Park in 1988, leaving construction work behind, as he put it, for “baptism by fire. We were on a lot of fire scenes, as volunteers, learning from full-time firemen.”

“We” refers to his wife.

“It was great because we went to EMT class together…” said Patti Brucki, who now works as a librarian and professional development teacher at Thornwood High School. “We both tried out to do work for the ambulance company and we both got hired, but we couldn’t afford for both of us to do it ‘cause we had to pay $40 … for the pair of pants.”

His latest salary, according to the district, is $150,000.

Brucki then joined Darien-Woodridge as a part-time firefighter. In 1994 he took a full-time position with the Pleasantview Fire Protection District, where he was promoted to lieutenant one year ago and remained until last week. 

Headquartered in LaGrange Highlands, with other stations in Burr Ridge and Hodgkins, Pleasantview is less than half the size of Orland. It employs 33 full-time firefighters and 12 part-timers, who cover approximately 14 square miles with two engines, two trucks and three ambulances, according to its website. Orland has 101 firefighters.

In addition to raising three children and coaching local youth baseball and football, he holds a business master’s degree from Benedictine University, has worked as an instructor for the Fire Service Institute through the University of Illinois, and chaired an advisory curriculum committee for the Illinois State Fire Marshal’s Office.

“That's no easy task, to be delegated to developing all of the curriculum for every single certification program in the state of Illinois,” he said. “It just doesn't get handed out.”

What’s more, Brucki “was part of a small group of firefighters in the early 1990s who came together to develop (rope rescue) standards that are not only in place today in the state of Illinois but also used all over the country,” Orland Fire Battalion Chief Michael Schofield said.

“It should be the goal of every firefighter to leave this service safer than it was when he came in," he added. "And Ken is the man to do that. He has already done that.”

Brucki’s hiring brings a yearlong search for a new full time chief to an end, following Bryant Krizik’s leveraged retirement after a .

served as acting chief during the search and was a final candidate for the full time position.

Orland Fire board president James Hickey and board secretary Blair Rhode both used the opportunity Monday to tout cuts they made in last year’s budget while maintaining service levels. Hickey said Brucki was the man to keep this tradition going when budget workshops begin in four months.

Brucki said it’s too early to know where cuts could be made, but vowed to weigh the effectiveness of the organizational chart with public safety before he did, relying on his studies in organization behavior and development.

For a district known as much for its size and speed as for its politically divisive nature, the task at hand is one of building trust and demonstrating the leadership skills which evidently got him the job.

“The amount of trust it takes to move in a forward direction, to safely mitigate an emergency (with multiple personnel) is unparalleled ... Just because they gave me this hat and put a little badge on me doesn’t mean that they trust me," he said. "It’s my job, I feel that it’s my obligation, to earn that trust.”

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