The Village of Peoria Heights has a new person leading its volunteer fire department, and Mayor Matt Wigginton is hopeful he will bring some stability to the position.
Hanna City native Austin Szentez, 34, was sworn in as interim fire chief on Thursday at the village hall. Szentez joined the Peoria Heights Fire Department last December, rising to the rank of deputy chief.
He takes over for former Peoria Fire Chief Tony Ardis, who was chosen in June to replace previous interim chief Dan Decker. Wigginton said Szentez was strongly recommended for the position by both predecessors.
“The biggest takeaway for me on this was that I had two former chiefs telling me the same thing,” Wigginton told WCBU. “Chief Decker, his parting advice to me was to really consider chief Szentez for the job.
“We went with chief Ardis instead, but then as chief Ardis’ exit was close approaching, he echoed the same sentiments that chief Decker ... had. So, having two trusted chiefs tell me that I needed to promote from within really makes it a no brainer for me.”
Szentez carries 17 years of firefighting experience in various capacities, from volunteer to part time to full time and leadership. He has worked with the Limestone Fire Protection District and the East Peoria Fire Department.
“He’s proven himself time and time again, and he’s eager to bring the department forward under our current agreement with Peoria,” said Wigginton, referring to the automatic aid pact with the Peoria Fire Department approved by the village board earlier this month.
“So I think we’re destined for good things, and I think he’s going to be a real team player and someone who’s going to improve public safety here in Peoria Heights.”
Szentez becomes the village’s fourth fire department leader in the last 2½ years. A post on the village’s social media said Szentez is very much interested in the permanent position, and Wigginton said he’s hopeful that becomes the case.
“I do believe that this will be a permanent position, ultimately,” said Wigginton. “We’ll see how things progress over these next few months. But I want to give him some time to get his feet wet, take command and build that command structure within the department.
“But my plan and my hope is to be able to offer him a more permanent position for confirmation with the board hopefully by springtime of next year.”
As interim chief, Szentez will earn $75,000 annually; his contract will be renegotiated if he becomes the full-time chief.
