Rock Falls firefighters move up the ranks

ROCK FALLS – With the promotion of Ken Wolf III to Rock Falls fire chief, two members of the fire department officially moved up the ranks Tuesday.

Kyle Sommers was sworn in as deputy fire chief, and Derick Newton was sworn in as captain during the Rock Falls City Council meeting. Both were internal promotions to the new ranks from captain and senior firefighter, respectively.

“I have no doubt that both these individuals are going to help lead this department into the future,” Wolf told Shaw Media on Wednesday. “They have strong leadership skills and both have extensive years of experience and knowledge.”

Wolf was sworn in as fire chief during the Feb. 20 City Council meeting.

Sommers will celebrate his 16th year with the Rock Falls Fire Department in June. Newton has been with the department for about 13 years.

“I think the thing I’m most excited for is to see the direction our department goes as we continue to grow and hire new members, and to see what we have in store for us in the future,” Sommers said.

He said he hopes to continue the work of his predecessors, who have established “really good training programs” for firefighters.

When it comes to Newton, Sommers said, “He’s very intelligent, brings a lot of experience to the department, and he’s going to be an excellent leader for both our younger and older firefighters alike.”

Newton said he’s looking forward to working with Wolf and Sommers in administrative positions.

When it comes to being captain, Newton said he’s looking forward to the challenges, working with his new shift mates and receiving new training.

“We’re trying to get involved with a little bit more training and get all our members up to speed,” he said. “We’ve always been pretty well trained, but trying to keep up with new techniques and advancements in the fire service [is important].”