Loves Park Fire Chief James Hart has his new badge pinned on by his wife, Kelsey, on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023, after he was sworn in as the city’s new fire chief during a City Council meeting. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current_

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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LOVES PARK  — James Hart joined the Loves Park Fire Department when it was on the cusp of the biggest change in its 76-year history.

Now, the 37-year-old former deputy chief will take the reins of a crew that switched from all-volunteer to full timers about four years ago.

He succeeds retiring Chief Jerry Wiltfang, who led the transformation of the department from an all-volunteer crew to a 24/7 operation just months after his arrival in September 2018.

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Hart joined the department about two months later, first as a firefighter and then as the deputy chief of emergency medical services. In that role, he helped Wiltfang and the department add multiple ambulances in spring 2019, drastically cutting response times to critical emergencies.

“Chief Wiltfang, he laid the foundation. He made this department, and we’ve got a good, solid foundation now,” Hart said. “Now it’s time to raise the bar.”

To do that, Hart said the department will focus on continuing education for its crew of roughly 32 firefighters, about 21 of which work full-time. He said several of the department’s firefighters will get further training at the University of Illinois Fire Service Institute in Champaign.

“We’re really going to have education as a priority,” Hart said.

Loves Park Fire Chief James Hart stands with his crew on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023, shortly after he was sworn in during a City Council meeting. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)

Hart was sworn in as chief on Tuesday in a ceremony before the Loves Park City Council. The council chambers were packed with family, friends and dozens of firefighters as Hart took the oath with his wife, Kelsey, and his daughters Brigid, 7, and Hattie, 3, by his side.

“Chief Wiltfang has been an outstanding mentor to me,” Hart said. “I can’t thank him enough.”

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Mayor Greg Jury said Wiltfang played a critical role in the modernization and expansion of the city’s fire department. He said the city owes Wiltfang a lot, and he publicly thanked the retiring chief on Tuesday before a crowd that responded with standing applause.

“He has built this fire department into one of the best departments in the area, and it’s come so far,” Jury said. “Every employee here knows it. Every police officer knows it. All these guys know it. Jerry Wiltfang, thank you for everything you’ve done for our city.”

Retired Fire Chief Jerry Wiltfang receives a standing ovation on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023, during a City Council meeting in which he was thanked for his years of service. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)

Wiltfang most recently helped the department add its newest fire station, which is at 5180 Rock Valley Parkway and expected to further reduce response times to areas of town with the most calls. That station went online in September.

Response times after adding full-time paramedics had already dropped from more than 30 minutes to roughly six minutes, Wiltfang said.

Wiltfang, who got his first experience in fire service as a young man in New Milford, became a Rockford firefighter at age 21. He retired from that department as district chief after 31 years on the job. He took over as chief in Loves Park succeeding Phil Foley, who retired after 53 years with the department.

Wiltfang is going to stay with the city in a part-time administrative role to help with Hart’s transition and to serve as the director of emergency operations. City Council members voted Dec. 19 to approve that change, along with pay of $46.54 per hour.

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Hart was born and raised in Belvidere and started his career with Boone County Fire Protection District 2. He was also a paramedic in Loves Park and an emergency medical technician in Rockford. He previously spent seven years at the Littleton Fire Department in Colorado and he also spent two years as a firefighter in Arapahoe County Colorado and two years as a paramedic in Denver.

City Council members selected him Dec. 19 as the city’s next chief and approved a $89,500 salary.

Hart said he’s now focused on building on Wiltfang’s success.

“We’re just going to elevate the bar,” Hart said. “We’re going to become more of a professional department, and (residents) can always expect that they’re going to get the best when they call 9-1-1.”

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas.