The Geneva City Council on Monday night approved the appointment of 20-year firefighter veteran Lt. Michael Antenore as the city’s next fire chief starting this summer.

Antenore will be replacing Fire Chief Steve Olson, who announced his retirement effective June 30. Deputy Fire Chief Mark Einwich will manage the department on an interim basis until Antenore’s first day on the job Monday, Aug. 8.

“I am honored to be appointed the next chief of the Geneva Fire Department,” Antenore said. “I look forward to working with Mayor Kevin Burns, the Geneva City Council and city staff to continue to provide excellent fire and rescue services to the residents of Geneva. I feel privileged to work with the men and women of the department. They are truly dedicated professionals and are committed to serving our citizens, businesses and visitors. Under the leadership of Chief Olson, the organization has grown into an internationally accredited fire and rescue agency. I look forward to continuing to build upon his and the department’s many accomplishments.”

During his fire career, Antenore has been a member of the Geneva Fire Department’s hazardous materials team. Other responsibilities include serving as public information officer, leading the 2015-20 Fire Department strategic planning process and being active in public outreach programs.

“Lt. Antenore brings 20 years of firefighting experience as well as private and public management skills to his new role as Geneva’s next fire chief,” said Mayor Kevin Burns, who brought the appointment for City Council consideration. “We are fortunate to have someone of Mike’s caliber assume the responsibilities of leading a dynamic and dedicated professional fire department.”

Geneva has a combination Fire Department comprised currently of 26 full-time firefighter/paramedics and more than 40 paid-on-call firefighters. Antenore was hired as a paid-on-call firefighter in 1996. He has progressed through the paid-on-call ranks by becoming a firefighter/emergency medical technician (EMT) in 1997, engineer/EMT in 1999 and his current position of lieutenant/EMT in 2005.

Outside of the fire service, the Geneva resident has a strong leadership and management background developed during his 32-year career at Nalco, An Ecolab Company, in Naperville. Antenore is currently director of marketing, where he has been tasked with leading a team in the company’s pretreatment marketing and innovation efforts. He has previously served in increasingly responsible roles including sales, marketing, marketing management and business manager. The latter position’s scope oversaw a business of 85 employees with a $20 million budget.

Besides numerous years of fire service education, Antenore received his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He also completed the Tuck Executive General Management Program at Dartmouth College.

A 24-year resident of Geneva, he and his wife Mary have two grown children.

SOURCE: City of Geneva news release