DeKalb city to appoint acting fire chief to full time role

DeKALB – DeKalb city leaders hope by Monday to have a new full-time fire chief: A familiar face in Michael Thomas, who’s served in the acting chief role since November.

According to city documents published ahead of Monday’s DeKalb City Council meeting, Thomas is expected to be sworn in during the meeting. City Manager Bill Nicklas already offered the posting to Thomas, who accepted, documents show. His first day as full-time will be Monday.

Thomas’ appointment in November came at the retirement of former chief Jeff McMaster. McMaster retired after 26 years in the department. City staff conducted a community search to find McMaster’s successor last year, and interviewed two finalists, documents show. However, the leading candidate – who is not identified in city records – did not work out.

“An agreement could not be reached with the leading candidate over compensation or the city’s residency requirement,” documents show. “At that point, the search was suspended and Acting Chief Thomas stepped up to provide critical leadership.”

In the four months since, city staff said Thomas provided apt knowledge of fire department operations. During his time as acting chief, Thomas oversaw the creation of the fiscal 2022 budget, operations and training of department staff, including hiring nine new firefighters under a $2.7 million grant, helped the department get approval to buy two new fire engines and also served on the city manager’s executive team.

The three-year Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response, or SAFER, federal grant gave the city fire department last year $2,721,256 to aid staffing levels which department leadership have long sought to expand.

Thomas has been with the DeKalb Fire Department since he was hired as a firefighter and paramedic in July 1995. In September 2009, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant, in April 2016, to captain and in July 2019 to battalion chief. In October 2021, he was appointed deputy fire chief of operations and then acting chief the next month.

“Acting Chief Thomas possesses the fundamental technical and administrative skills to be fire chief,” city staff wrote. “Just as important, he possesses a confident and collaborative style of leadership that is very much needed as the department embraces its higher level of staffing, pending vehicle equipment upgrades and facility improvements.”

Thomas’ swearing-in ceremony is expected to occur at the council meeting set to begin at 6 p.m. Monday in the Yusunas Room of the DeKalb public Library, 309 Oak St.