Glenview Deputy Fire Chief Approved To Temporarily Lead Winnetka Fire Department

Ralph Ensign, deputy chief of the , will serve as Winnetka's interim fire chief until a new chief is named, according to a resolution approved by Glenview and Winnetka village trustees at respective board meetings Tuesday, Nov. 17.

Deputy Chief Ensign will assume the duties of Fire Chief Scott Smith, who retired Nov. 12. Ensign will serve in this capactity until Jan. 31, 2011 or until a new chief is named, according to the intergovernmental agreement. According to the agreement, the Village of Winnetka is actively searching to identify a permanent replacement for Smith.

Though Glenview will continue to pay Ensign's salary and provide benefits, Winnetka has agreed to pay the Village of Glenview $14,688.83 per month for Ensign's temporary role with the Winnetka Fire Department.

The intergovernmental arrangement returns Ensign to his roots, the deputy fire chief explained. 

Ensign joined the Glenview Fire Department in March 2008  after working with the Highland Park Fire Department for nearly 30 years. Even before earning a full-time firefighter position with Higland Park in 1978 — and later becoming the city's Battalion Chief — Ensign began his career as an on-call firefighter for Winnetka in 1976.

"It's kind of come back full circle as I go back now to help [the Winnetka Fire Department] out," he said.

As a native of the North Shore, Ensign is familiar with the area, he added. He will continue to work in Glenview and plans to balance his schedule accordingly.

"I know the community pretty well, so I think it will be a pretty easy transition for what they're looking for," he said.

At Winnetka's village council meeting Tuesday, resident Richard Kates inquired why an acting fire chief had not been chosen from within the Winnetka Department.

Interim Village Manager Liz Rosenthal explained that while an acting deputy chief has been named, the village "didn't feel it was really fair for him to take over the role of fire chief immediately after having him take over the role of acting deputy chief."

Kerry Cummings, Village of Glenview President, said the agreement is just one example of intergovernmental cooperation.

"It's just the ultimate in municipal cooperation that's for the betterment of all the communities in the region," Cummings said. "And we're pleased that we could work out an arrangement with them to ease them through their transition.

They're certainly getting a quality, top-notch person to fill [the interim fire chief] role for them. We always are cooperative with the communities around us and that's just another example of working together to solve some of our regional problems."