Rockford Sun

The Fire and Police Commission has named five finalists for the position of Chief of the Rockford Fire Department. The candidates come from within the department as well as from outside Rockford, bringing a range of experience and qualifications.

The finalists are Jeffrey Althoff, District Chief with 25 years at the Rockford Fire Department; Scott Bavery, Assistant Fire Chief from Madison, Wisconsin with 28 years in service; Matthew Cordonnier, Logistics Chief at Rockford Fire Department with 15 years of experience; Timothy Morris, Captain and Fire Prevention Coordinator at Rockford Fire Department with 24 years of service; and Rebecca Tyo, Captain at Rockford Fire Department with 16 years in the field.

Althoff holds a Bachelor’s degree in General Studies and is working toward a Master’s in Public Safety Administration. He also has received both the Chief Fire Officer (CFO) designation by the Center for Public Safety Excellence and Illinois Professional Emergency Manager (IPEM) accreditation by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA).

Bavery holds a Bachelor’s in Community Health Education and a Master’s in Emergency Management Services. He also holds the CFO designation by the Center for Public Safety Excellence.

Cordonnier earned his Bachelor’s degree in Fire Administration and is pursuing graduate studies in Executive Fire Leadership and Public Administration. Like Althoff, he has both CFO designation by the Center for Public Safety Excellence and IPEM accreditation from IEMA.

Morris completed his Bachelor’s degree in Public Fire Administration and is working toward a Master of Executive Leadership. He is also seeking CFO designation through the Center for Public Safety Excellence.

Tyo holds both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Kinesiology. She has achieved the Fire Officer (FO) designation from the Center for Public Safety Excellence along with IPEM accreditation by IEMA.

Community members will have an opportunity to hear directly from these finalists during a Virtual Question and Answer Forum scheduled for Tuesday, September 23, from 5 to 6 p.m. The public can join this event online at https://tinyurl.com/rfdvirtualforum.

Questions for the candidates are being collected by IOS Industrial/Organizational Solutions, which was hired to assist with recruitment and evaluation efforts. Members of the public can submit questions they would like addressed during the forum to RockfordFD@iosolutions.com by September 15.

An additional chance to meet the candidates will be available during an in-person Meet and Greet session on Monday, October 6, between 5 and 8 p.m., held at Kresge Hall inside Riverfront Museum Park located at 711 N. Main Street.