Glenview battalion chief appointed as new Harvard fire chief

Glenview Battalion Chief Lawrence Kane will report for duty Monday as the Harvard Fire Protection District’s new fire chief. Roger Hugg, president of the Harvard Fire Protection District’s Board of Trustees, said in a news release that Kane was selected to be the new chief following a candidate review and evaluation performed by the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association.

Following this process, two names were presented to the board for final consideration. After two rounds of interviews, Hugg said that Kane was selected.

Kane – whose parents are residents of rural Harvard – has served in public safety for 26 years, both as a police officer and as a firefighter and paramedic. Although he spent his career in Glenview, Kane said he thought the chance to serve as fire chief in Harvard was a great opportunity when the position became available in October.

“This is an opportunity to give back to the community a little bit and work with a group with a strong reputation as strong firefighters,” Kane said.

While serving with the Glenview Fire Department, Kane was a member of the department’s training division. He also coordinated fire officer development programs, participated on the Hazardous Materials Response Team, gained experience preparing the fire department’s operational budgets and helped to revise operational and administrative standard operating guidelines, according to the release.

“Larry Kane comes from a family of fire department people and will be an asset to Harvard in the future development of our department,” Hugg said in the release.

Harvard’s fire chief of the past 15 years, Steve Harter, resigned in September citing “personal reasons” but asked to continue to served as a firefighter and EMT for the district. He was replaced in an interim capacity by Harvard Battalion Chief Bryan Pierce.

In addition, an ordinance passed in September – which establishes a mandatory retirement age of 65 for firefighters employed by the district – would see Harvard Deputy Fire Chief Don Davidson leave the district within 12 months.