It would be easy to assume Andrew Rick always wanted to be a firefighter. That was the career path of his father, a Countryside Fire Protection District veteran.
But the younger Rick thought he was going in another direction professionally up until midway through college as a University of Iowa student. He realized firefighting just might be the right choice after all.
“I saw teamwork, service, excitement, physical activity, decision-making under pressure, and so many more attributes the fire service gets to experience every day,” Rick wrote via an e-mail. “I also saw a job that provided stability for my own family, allowed my parents to be actively involved in my life, and I even felt the pride in knowing what my dad did. In college, I was finding my passions and experiences in health and the medical field were forming a great foundation to start a career in the fire service.”
After college graduation, Rick took a firefighting role at the Countryside department in 2006. In 2008, he was hired in Lake Forest’s department. He moved up through the department’s ranks and is now its chief, appointed recently to replace Peter Siebert, who retired.
“Since joining the Fire Department, Andy has consistently demonstrated his expertise, commitment to our mission, and the leadership skills needed to guide us forward,” City Manager Jason Wicha said in a statement. “Having worked alongside Chief Siebert on several pivotal initiatives, Andy is well-positioned to continue the department’s legacy of excellence. His optimism, professionalism, and long-term vision will be invaluable as we look toward the future.”
Rick’s promotion is the latest step in a career where he sees little monotony daily.
“No two calls are exactly alike and we get to face new challenges every time there is an emergency,” Rick wrote. “Ultimately, those challenges are finding ways to help people and make their lives better.”
After nearly two decades, he notes an evolution in the responsibilities of firefighters.
“The fire service still has roots in firefighting but the profession has long ago shifted to being emergency medicine first. We have more medical-based emergencies needing paramedics than any other call we might go on,” he said. “As a result, the skillset of a paramedic has become one of our primary needs. The rewarding part of this is emergency medicine gives us a real opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives every day. Our impact pre-hospital is continuing to grow which is very exciting.”
Rick will be in charge of a department with a $9 million annual budget with 31 staff members plus three people on the administrative team. He acknowledged there has been some staff turnover in the last two to three years. Today the average experience is below nine years for the entire department with eight full-time employees who have been with the city for a year or less.
Yet he sees that as an opportunity, not a challenge.
“We have a chance to develop a strong culture here that will balance the traditions of our department but also embrace a new generation,” he wrote. “We also need to foster leadership at all levels of our organization, there are going to be a lot of promotional opportunities in the future and I want to make sure our people are ready to step into those roles.”
With the promotion, Rick is also in a position to preside over the overhaul of the current public safety headquarters at 255 W. Deerpath Road.
The fire department and the police have shared that building since the 1960s. But last year, the City Council approved the purchase of a vacant building in the Conway Park office complex set to be the new police headquarters.
The fire department will remain at the Deerpath building, but it will require an extensive renovation to be a single-use facility.
Rick said a needs analysis has started for that project, but won’t be completed until construction of the new police headquarters is finished. (City officials believe police will move into the new space sometime in 2025.)
“It is too early in the process to have an idea of the cost or what things will look like, but we are excited to have the opportunity to develop a plan for what the next 50-plus years looks like at (the fire department),” Rick wrote.
Away from the office, Rick, 41, and his wife are the parents of the three boys. He said the family enjoys spending time outside and traveling.
Finally, Rick spoke of the differences in physical geography with Lake Forest when commenting on the recent wildfires that devastated southern California, but he noted the events reinforced the importance of how any department needs to be prepared for all types of extreme situations.
“This means having a plan in place for emergencies that extend beyond our borders as well as the ability of our own department to handle a situation alone,” he wrote. “It extends to emergency preparedness in the county, regionally, and even statewide which is an ongoing process of preparedness and training, so all agencies are operating at a high level.”
Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
