Fire Chief Picked For Clarendon Hills

CLARENDON HILLS, IL – Clarendon Hills' acting fire chief has been recommended for the job permanently.

Acting Chief Dave Godek has served in that role since last month when Chief Michael Korzen resigned unexpectedly after four months for family health reasons.

Godek was also called to fill in when Chief Brian Leahy was put on leave in November 2023. Four months later, Leahy and the Village Board struck a deal for him to resign. That ended Leahy's 52-year career with the fire department, the last 39 as its chief.

In a memo released Thursday, Village Manager Zach Creer said the village reviewed previous candidates and held more interviews with Godek.

He said Village President Eric Tech recommended Godek for chief. The Village Board is set to vote on the nomination Monday.

In 1999, Godek started with the local fire department as a part-time firefighter and paramedic. After that, he served several suburban Chicago departments. He joined the Clarendon Hills department full time in 2008 and served both the building and fire departments.