Attorney McGrath: Illinois statute allows bachelor’s degree as one path to qualify Dolton interim fire chief

Attorney McGrath told the board that Illinois law provides several alternative paths for someone to qualify as a fire chief and that a bachelor’s degree alone satisfies one of those options, a point he said was omitted in the union’s presentation. "If you have a Bachelor's Degree you qualify as a fire chief," Attorney McGrath said, citing 65 ILCS 5/10-2.1-4.

The clarification came during closing remarks after Trustee Stan had earlier raised questions about the interim chief’s credentials. McGrath said the statute — revised in 2019 — lists multiple, separate criteria joined by "or," meaning an applicant need not meet every listed certification if one of the enumerated options applies. He summarized the statute as including (1) Office of the State Fire Marshal certifications (basic operations, Fire Fighter 2, or advanced fire officer credentials) combined with certain degrees, (2) alternate certification-degree combinations, and (3) a separate provision allowing appointment after 10 years of service with the local department.

McGrath also said a complaint citing the statute was filed by the firefighters' union within the last two weeks and that the village has added a count alleging a violation of the Freedom of Information Act; he said the village intends to defend the suits in court. "We are looking forward to defending this action in court," McGrath said.

The attorney illustrated the statute’s alternatives with an example: someone with 10 years of service in the Dolton fire department could qualify for appointment even without state certifications or a degree, he said. McGrath also read the statutory citation that appears in the union complaint as 65 ILCS 5/10-2.1-4 and noted that the complaint quotes only a portion of the statute when arguing the interim chief is unqualified.

Following McGrath’s explanation, the mayor asked for a motion to adjourn; the transcript records the request for a motion but does not record any motion, second, or vote.

The board’s next procedural step was not recorded in the transcript. The union complaint and the FOIA count McGrath referenced are matters the attorney said will be handled in court; no court filings beyond the cited complaint are detailed in the meeting record.