Retiring Decatur Fire Chief shares legacy after 30 years in the department

DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) — Decatur Fire Chief Jeff Abbott announced Monday that he will be retiring in March after serving 30 years in the department.

Abbott joined DFD in 1995 and rose the ranks to Lieutenant in 1999, Fire Captain in 2006, and Deputy Fire Chief in 2007. He's been Fire Chief since late 2014.

In this role, Abbott oversaw the building of three new fire stations and remodeling of the other four stations. He also introduced new dispatch and data technology to make the departments response times shorter and more efficient.

" When I came on, the would the alarm would go off and every person had to know what a every other fire apparatus was doing," said Chief Abbott. "And then if it was based on the street, if it was in your territory or not in your territory. I thought it was very inefficient. It didn't rely on sending the closest fire station to your call. It relied on dividing streets."

Abbott also helped increase awareness and education involving the high exposure risks firefighters have with cancer. When he started, Abbott said no one really understood the correlation between dirty gear and equipment and exposure to carcinogens.

"We've done things over the years to reduce risks," said Abbott. "We provide every firefighter two sets of turnout gear now so they can wash the set after they go to a fire. We stress decon. We put washer and, extractors, special machines in each fire station to clean the guys personal protective equipment."

Abbott will retire effective March 15, 2025 – exactly 30 years after starting his career with DFD on March 15, 1995.

“Jeff has 30 years of dedicated service with the majority being in a leadership position and he is going to be tough to replace,” said Decatur City Manager Tim Gleason. “I wish him all the best in this next chapter of life.”

A new Fire Chief will be appointed by the City Manager in the near future.