Aurora Fire Chief Gary Krienitz is going to retire later this year.
Mayor Richard Irvin announced the retirement at the Feb. 8 City Council meeting. He said it would take place later this year.
“We’ll be celebrating his time and all his good work,” Irvin said. “He will be missed.”
Krienitz, 49, is the 17th chief in Aurora Fire Department history, and has served as chief since February 2016. Before that he was the department’s fire marshal.
He also has served as a paramedic, a lieutenant and a captain during his 26 years in the department.
Krienitz is a graduate of Waubonsie Valley High School in Aurora, and has said that a brief ride-along with Medic 4 at Fire Station 4 while in high school had a big impact on him.
In 2014, Krienitz was named Firefighter of the Year in Aurora. Along with firefighters Jason Larson and Dan Murphy, he earned the department’s top award for efforts during a dangerous motel fire that resulted in them saving the lives of two people.
A member of the National Fire Protection Association and the International Association of Arson Investigators, Krienitz holds more than 15 certifications, including being a certified evidence technician, rescue specialist, arson investigator, emergency medical technician, juvenile fire setter counselor and personal trainer.
He has completed more than 50 training courses through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Illinois Fire Service Institute, the Illinois State Police Academy for Arson and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
Krienitz earned his fire science degree from the College of DuPage and was a team leader with the DuPage County Fire Investigation Task Force.
Krienitz also is active in the community.
He mentors youth at Calvary Church, teaches Junior Achievement classes at local schools, and has put his training to use with medical missions in Guatemala, Cambodia, the Philippines, Brazil, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Belgium, Slovakia and Ethiopia.
