Bill Muno
Deputy Fire Chief Bill Muno’s 39-year career as an Evanston firefighter came full circle Friday in a walkout ceremony in front of Fire Station 1 with a full turnout of fire department members and well wishers to greet him as he left the station as a working firefighter for the last time.
A bagpipe played and a flag that had flown over the station was lowered and presented to Muno by Fire Chief Paul Polep in the walkout ceremony, held to honor retiring firefighters.
“Thank you for your time, 39 years,” an emotional chief said. “It’s incredible. You’ve been a pillar to this department. Look at all the members out there,” he said of the line of firefighter stretching nearly nearly nearly three quarters of a block along Lake Street.
“We’ve all learned something from you. We’ll continue learning. We know how right is right,” he said, as the flag that had flown over the station that day was lowered in Muno’s honor.
Deputy Fire Chief Bill Muno’s lifelong dream to become a firefighter started when he was still in a stroller, his father pushing him to the firehouse on Washington Street where a neighbor was the captain of the engine company.
It ended with a walkout ceremony last Friday, Nov. 21st, fellow fire department, city officials, and well wishers stretched across Lake Street, as the retiring Deputy Chief left Fire Station 1 as a working member of the service for a final time.
Conducting the ceremony, an emotional Fire Chief Paul Polep thanked Muno for his time, 39 years.
“It’s incredible. You’ve been a pillar to this department. Look at all the members out there,” he said of a blue wave of fire department members, standing four deep and stretching nearly three quarters of a block along Lake Street.
“We’ve all learned something from you for nearly four decades. We’ll keep continue learning. You know how right is right. So thank you, so much,” he said, before the flag stop fire headquarters was lowered in Muno’s honor.
Paying honor to who has been a face of the department of the department nearly 40 years in phases. ranks: Muno was promoted to captain on Aug. 19, 1996, promoted to shift chief on Feb. 27, 2012 and ewfinally promoted to deputy chief on May 10, 2021, new ushering in.ensuring that his would be ne her nation of firightrers .
During his tenure he of seeing all five firehouses rebuilt or remodeled. “I’ve seen every fire apparatus replaced at least twice or three times in my8 career. By his count, he’s been through nine fire chief, including Sanders Hicks, Evanston first African American firefighter and chief. Hicks had the okay to ride with trucks in those years before the department.
“And he was actually the person who gave the firefighter the official okay to ride before offciially8 coming into t he department.
“There is not much to say,”Muno responded. “But thank you everybody. Thank you for everything, the friendship, the memories, the laughs and the greatest profession in the world — and being a part of it for me and My career has been exceptional. Thank you, everybody,” he said to applause.
As much as technical knowledge know how brought Muno sought for the profession passin for helping turned. had a love affair with the fire profession well before he joined the department, he said in an interview.
While still in a stroller, his father would push him to Fire Station 4 on Washington Street, to visit their neighbor.
“And my father also knew several other firemen, even though he wasn’t in the fire service,” Muno recalled. “And I just took a liking to the fire trucks and the firehouse atmosphere, and when I was big enough to ride my bike to the firehouses, I would do that routinely and just look at the trucks and talk to some of the firefighters to the point where shortly after high school I started hanging around more, and before I knew it I was actually getting the privilege of riding along with them on the truck, going on calls with them every other weekend, practically for the fun of it, the excitement, all the way until I got called to be hired in 1986.”
He kept a little journal of al the fires he went on during that time, more than a 100, including some of the significant ones.
“The biggest thing was just the way firehouse life was back then. You know, you’d have one or two TVs, and you’d kind of have to watch what the senior firefighters or officers wanted to watch. We didn’t have air conditions in all of the room. They were very old firehouses, the oldest was station 4, built in 1927 — very old and antiquated, and they tore that one down shortly after I got on.
“But things were very simple then and, you know, the camaraderie was really strong because there wasn’t a lot to do (this was well before smart phones), other than sit in front of the firehouse, talk to each, talk to the people walking by after dinner. And just a real cool experience you know, you really got to know the guys and gals you worked with closely just by having that sit down.”
After working in Elk Grove Township for a couple of years as a paid on call firefighter, gaining more experience, he officially joined the Evanston Fire Department on Aug. 18, 1986.
“My first day we had one run, in the middle of the night. I’m thinking it’s going to be a busy day I had one run.”
Even so, “I looked forward to coming to work every day. I was wondering what was going to be waiting for me. And it’s always exciting, never like a day where i was regretting having to go to work, because I finally got my wish to come through. The dream came and I was going to make every count, make it worthwhile.”
He encountered several significant fires in his early years, including Evanston’s first full blown high rise fire in two of them coming shortly after he was elevated September 1996, not long after he had been promoted to captain in September 1996.
Fire had broken out at the 22 story First Chicago NBD Bank building on Sept. 24 1603 Orrington that year a Tuesday, leading to the evacuation of hundreds of employees and resulting in one casualty.
Upon arrival, firefighters found fire shooting out of the south wind owns on the. The eighth floor,sending plumes of smoke and showering glass on the sidewalk.
Of the fire started in eight floor and then spread to as the fire started in the eighth floor and and then spread to the ninth and tenth floors.
Recalling, Muno described it as a textbook high rise fire that had many challenges, ticking some of them off.
A daytime fire with at a complete at a building fully occupied 22 stories of office workersMet the
“I remember trying to go up the stairs to the fire floor,” he said. “The stairwells were full of people coming down and they’re yelling and the smoke conditions were getting bad, the elevators failed.”
The lone victim had taken one of them, which stopped on the elevator floor and opened up.
“The hot gasses caused her to collapse and I found her as I was crawling past to meet with our guys on the hose line.
I remember that was a significant moment for me, like it scared me, like oh my there’s a victim. And then finally getting the help from other firefighters to remove her. They took it from there and i went back, continuing with my company.”
Two months later response at in a fast moving fire. At a 21-unit. Condominium. building. At at 808 Judson Ave., that left 40. Occupants homeless.
Fire investigators believed that the fire started in a first floor unit of in. the front of the. And just ripped through the modern construction building all four floors collapsed to the the ground.
“We almost lost three or. Four firefighters that night,” one was lost and three were caught in collapse of the carport ceFour story building one Sunday evening, which 100 firefighters from a dozen communities were called. To fight.
The ceiling panackaed collapsed and the cards saved couple guys there. Three were caught in the collapse of the carport of the ceiling with them the caprior c exiling trapped them underneath all that debris but fortunately there wer kind of situated. Alongside parked cars, which helped kind of shelter ther self from tle that weight and fire coming down directly on them.
Meanwhile,
Captain Donald Kunita almost on truck 23 was actually lost for appproximately 11 minutes on the the co second floor after .and called mayday.
company officer a t the time and routine call was caught in the interior of the building and unable to see.
I be came disoriented and caught in heated areas where the the fires was repaidly8growingand expanding.
You have your elf contained breathing apppartus and your raid but essentially up our Blaine’s and up ou up our air. Pack is only going to last so long.
Felt some drapes or venieiotons Boeings indictin he at wil won.
I remember going up there going up there trying to look for him and the conditions just got significantly worse, Muno said. And right about then when that carport collapsed and create3d an enormous like flash fire in the hallways on us, and then we had to leave .
Felt with became disoriented in the heate had his but mostly blindly group wh ith his sway and felt some dragons or Venetian’s blinds telling him he was at a window.
A lot came out of that fire, said. AT that time only the company officers had portable radios. So after that every8 riding position got a portable radios, he said.We only had one truck in service that night we made sure so we made sure we had a second truck k a rescuer eve truc k. We started getting better accountability at fires.
Muno was active in the Foreign Tax Board, comprised of union and management representatives, which purchased equipment for the then cash strapped city to address needs that had arisen at those fires, said Dave Ellis, retired firefighters and former union leader.
The board receives special funds from out of state insurance companies doing business in Illinois under a state-established program.
One of the purchases included special thermo imaging lenses that allow firefighters better visibility at a smoke filled fire scene.
Muno excelled in the many roles he played throughout his career, moving from firefighter to Deputy Chief. “He had one thing he was dedicated to and that was making sure the fire department was the best that it could be. He didn’t get involved in side issues.”
Muno noted, the thermo imaging cameras were a game changing because it it up picks up the heat and you can now capture furnish furniture windoens goods doors kind of opening so you can kind of navigate in a direction that you can get out. Safely. Ord f you’re fl looking for vicimte on the floor their body heat will be picked up by the cameras.
Another fire at fire at one the Pine yard Resturant in 2014 that led from the kitchen area of to the. Buildings room on the 1000. Block. Of Davis Street early New Dec. 29 also stood. Out.
Firefighters contended with on e of firefighting most difficult building types in that one — a bow trussed roofer to finally put the fire down. Was on e first arriving units fire already comout out through t of the out of the hold and duct system kitchen and escalated alarm.
And I remember asking the engine officer in the in the kitchen or the inside go, you guys making any progress? I go, not looking good outside on the roof, and I was getting three different versions of reports from three different companies, and wasn’t matching up, and I was getting concerned. I go, this isn’t going well. It’s moving as far as getting worse, quickly. 224 am. So we actually, I ordered everybody out of the building and went defensive, because I knew now it was in that boat trust roof, which is a very dangerous roof, constructed scenario, just a big lumber yard of wood up there that’s holding that big arch roofing up. And hold everybody out, set up for defensive and a short time after is when the roof started coming in and blowing out the walls, you know, into the street. So again, it could have been a lot worse. We could
Most everything we have in our home or work space is either plastic or petroleum based, and they burn a lot different than old years and years and years ago. Material, all wooden, type, furnishings, steel, whatever. So we had to kind of rethink how we’re attacking fires, how aggressive we are. And I think the most important thing is how quickly we can get water on the fire to control it before it takes control of us or the building. Obviously, the equipment we use is different, you know, again, going back to thermal imaging cameras, hoses are a little bit bigger. They flow a lot more gallons per minute of water, which is very helpful, especially for interior when I first came on the nozzle we were using, we’re only 95 gallon a minute. Nozzles that were nothing compared to the 170 185 gallons a minute, we can now flow, which knocks down a lot more fire, a lot quicker and more aggressively. The way we approach fires with the amount of people and equipment we bring to a fire. Now that fire at 808, Hudson, that night the first, the initial response was two fire engines and an aerial truck and the battalion chief and an animals. Nowadays, we get four fire engines, two ladder trucks, battalion chief, animals, and we get a little bit of mutual aid help right to the scene to give us enough personnel to hopefully safely and aggressively control these fires before they get out of control doesn’t always work because of the fires. Got long dance before we even get there, but we’re much more safer than what we used to be, I think just based on the learning and experience that we’ve gained through past and past fires.
Was for deputy fire chief after Polep with the sworn in as per ant chief in early 2021 named ass April 8 named as deputy chief in.
With the department since 19996.
He’s started in 1986 and I started in 1996 and at I just felt a tthe time the timings is right . It just felt important a person who had the time the knowledge eh experience to bring them in as a foundation of sour cammdnationd
He started in 86 I started in 96 and I just at the time, the timing is right, and it just felt important a person who had the time, the knowledge, the experience, to bring them in as a foundation of our command staff and a foundation for the department, because we’ve got such a young department right now that for members to be able to look up to that and kind of have a question about something that maybe happened years ago, and chief Muno would have an answer, because at some point he’s seen it or done it, yeah, and it’s, it’s pretty cool, right? Like back then fires. There were more fires. Today, there are less fires just due to fire prevention and smoking and candles and things that we’re doing just differently. You know? Now candles aren’t even lit anymore. Now it’s people don’t smoke in their house. So when about fires and things, they can go to Chief mood, oh, and he, he’s just been that person that you look up to,
Important to his him too.’
So right now, I mean, I think our average with 115 members, our average time on the job is 12.6 years, yeah, so that’s, that’s the it’s, it’s a good number. Get it. It’s still Yeah, a young department Yeah. So Billy just brought a he just brought that sense of a person could ask him that question, and he’s probably known it and seen
I think the biggest change I’ve seen is like, when I came on even before, a lot of the individuals were like, not Really college bound, or college graduates, they grew up and learn the trades, a lot of the trades that we need in this profession, you know, not just being a firefighter, but, you know, have a little background in electrical, plumbing, HVAC, roofing, you know, building, construction and carpentry, like you know, because those all factor in on what we do every day, day in and day out, going on calls and helping the public with any and all of their problems, and a lot of them revolve around that kind of stuff. So it was good to know you knew so many people had so many different trade experiences, and you’d learn from them, you know, how to do a lot of stuff if you didn’t have that knowledge or skill. Nowadays, it’s like going the other way. A lot of the individuals we hire have college degrees and lack a little bit of the trade skills, right? But it’s understandable, and it’s okay, because, as I told my kids, you know, I’ll treat I’ll teach you how to learn the trade skills that I’ve learned. You need to teach me how to do it, stuff, navigate through a phone, TV, computer, right? And so there’s that trade off, you know, you need that. You know from both sides, you know you can learn that we can learn a lot from the younger people in that respect, and they they want to learn those trade skills, because they know how essential it is to to use when you are in this profession, because that’s what you use. You know, those skills day in and day, and the public expects it. You know, I still believe in that. You know, they call 911, you we show up, we take care of their problems, whether it’s completely or somewhat, but at least put them in a good place that we just didn’t leave them hopelessly like without any ability to take care of what they they called us for. So, you know, so I was always happy that we can leave the call give them something to feel good about, that they’re not just again left hopelessly without a solving of their problem. So we try and teach our new members, you know, as much as we can so that they can continue on with the, you know, passing that on the third generation of firefighters coming along the way.
I That’s why you’re here, you know? I try and stress that to new people coming on. I go, you worked hard to try and get on the job well now, like, make it count. Make you know you’re here for a reason, and that’s to help the public. That’s it. How you do that is up to you, the choices you make on how involved you want to be and how much experience you want to have behind you to help those people in those times of need, because they’re counting on us. And you know, you got to do it professionally, compassionately, respectfully, because that’s what we get paid to do, and we get paid very well to do that. And again, it’s not just your average nine to five job. I mean, people are relying on you us at their worst moment in their life. It could be life changing forever. So you got to be ready to handle those situation and do them, you know, with the utmost best, if not, I always tell people, there’s other professions you can move on to, because this, this demands you be at the best as a human, as a firefighter, professional, you know, you know, I always kept it, you know, in the forefront of my you know, when I came to work every third day, you know, I plan my my in my mind, mentally, what I might be seeing, what I might be doing for The day, and good or bad, you know, and prepared myself to make sure every call I went out that door on, I was gonna do my best, you know, so and keep my crew safe as much as I could. Two priorities.
Took oin different dimension .
ranks: Muno was promoted to captain on Aug. 19, 1996, promoted to shift chief on Feb. 27, 2012 and finally promoted to deputy chief on May 10, 2021.
Another umber of things have changed since those early fires, Muno said.
“Bill was an excellent firefighter fireman, good officer, good shift commander and good Deputy Chief
Retired firefighter Dave Ellis, who started in the department in 1979, recalled that Muno was active
Muno was active on the
Eventually through
Said Donald Kunitz.
Bill was great excaelelng firemen good office rand g ord s shift commander and good command dep chief. He had one thing he was dedicated to and that was making thue for ire department the best that it could be. A hue didn’t get involved in sides issues.
Dave joined 79.
Yes there what as many sprinklers fire prevent us and inspection weren’t as big then anjd a lot of budding ins in evanjstonoutside of single family ar new downtown party new there n ot go to be thue smoke deter ther co detergents hidcdh we’re back then anjd all thos small code. Now and pp l hug them we hv less big fir try snitil ngo to hap8en buy t. Not as loess often.
Bill. Is s traits guy and 39yrs a long time and hew as chasing fires when on bicycle when five or sic yers.hesignleh. Handed got iso rating up to iso rating and tht served taxp res lot of money. I got foreign fire tax boards stared in 91 b ht he only8 asl involved fire tax on. By help sa gy8buyin eiiuiitep tsotuff tht dire dept m ends so it. Not profit of the b uidoigher.
Particularly ont he 1603 Orrington and 808 judges. We got thos for the c ith we pay for eight fire tax board paid for those .
U if smoke out area or if lot of heat u can’t see it all about sense and fire exe. feel.
Fore fifth created by ordinance is state law where insurance companies do not reside in ill. Hv to pay tax rot sell. Insurance go in state budget then got distributed to communities based on opopulation. When I bought truck fire. Truck high park nobody wanted then got . It the tax goes to the city if wet to create boar u hv to do tht under city ordinance. Just like I PPrt tht doesn go to pensions. Some with foresight fire tax board 91 92 all that mone go to board the boar conti led by Anna ent an d I union and a we buy things to benefit the fire dept. bill ha d a very illustrious career. H good guy he played stuff straight he held he’d up high. He old school guys t hose guy7 u KD of look iup to the guys u cos cler rel fire menu and rel fire chief.
‘
“A textbook high rise fire that had
The fire broke in an eighth floor office suite, then spread to the ninth and tenth floors.
Two of the most significant fires he encountered came in those early years, including first high rise fire.
Fire broke out Sept. 24
Fire
ranks: Muno was promoted to captain on Aug. 19, 1996, promoted to shift chief on Feb. 27, 2012 and finally promoted to deputy chief on May 10, 2021.
During his 39 years. He estimated he worked for nine fire chiefs, eight city managers, and
The first fire chief he worked under was Sanders Hicks, Evanston’s first fire chief and a pioneer as the first African-American member of the department.
Hicks “was actually the person who gave me the official okay to ride with ggg
“The fire trucks weren’t in the best of condition. The equipment was not the best but you made do with what you had.”
He star
cool chief Smith, and all the amazing people that I’ve worked with and had the privilege to work with, not only in the department, but within the city, all the friendships I’ve gained and made along the way. It’s an amazing run that I had. I can’t think of a bad day that I ever had. As I tell everybody, it’s the greatest job in the world. If I could do it again, I wouldn’t tomorrow, what the job offers, what the commitment is to the community, to the department, I would do it all over again, amazing job in the world, be able to help people make a difference in their lives when they’re at their most and go home every morning safe and sound and be with my family, who I love dearly and take care of so again, thank you for the honor of being able to be a part of this city For so many years, and I look forward to seeing what it brings in the future. I’ll always be somewhat near, but it’ll be in great shape while after I’m gone. So thank you for everything. Thank you for the community, for your support. My bosses and all people that
Conditions were different in those days.
A neighbor was the captain of the engine company at the time, and his dad, though not in the fire service himself, knew
“We would periodically go there and visit because our neighbor was the captain of that engine company at the time,
Deputy Fire Chief Bill Muno’s 39-year career as an Evanston firefighter came full circle Friday in a walkout ceremony in front of Fire Station 1 and a full turnout of fire department members and well wishers standing as he left the station as a working firefighter for the last time.
Stood at attention as bagpipes Bagpipes played as a flag that had flown over the station was lowered and presented to Muno by Fire Chief Paul Polep.
“Thank you for your time, 39 years,” an emotional chief said. “It’s incredible. You’ve been a pillar to this department. Look at all the members out there,” he said of members and well wishers stretching nearly nearly nearly three quarters of a block along Lake Street.
“We’ve all learned something from you. We’ll continue learning. We know how right is right,” he said, as the flag that had flown over the station that day was lowered in Muno’s honor.
In an interview earlier in the week, Muno said his dream to become a firefighter started when he was still in a stroller, his father pushing him to the firehouse on Washington Street where a neighbor was the captain of the engine company.
“And I just took a liking to the fire trucks and the firehouse atmosphere,” he said, “and when I was big enough to ride my bike to the firehouses, I would do that routinely and just look at the trucks and talk to some of the firefighters to the point where shortly after high school I started hanging around more, and before I knew it I was getting the privilege of riding along with them on the truck, going on calls with them every other weekend, until the time I got called to be hired in 1986.”
There were a lot more fire calls in those days. The fire houses were equipped different than today, with maybe one or two TVs, and air conditioning not in all the rooms, he recalled.
“But things were very simple then,”he said. “And you know the camaraderie was really strong because there wasn’t a lot to do other than sit out in front fire house after dinner in the evening and summer time. And you really got to know the guys and gals you work closely just by having that sit down time. The equipment was, you know, not the best, but you made do with what you had.
During his time he had the priv
Prior to getting on in Evanston, he worked as a paid on call firefighter in Elk Grove township for a couple of years as a paid on call type firefighters, receiving his fire academy certification.
And I also had just completed my paramedic program which I paid for myself at the time, so that I could have hopefully an advantage of getting hired and reconsidered over other other applicants.
“So when I walked in the door in Evanston I was already a firefighter and paramedic certified,” he said.
There was a lot of fire activity in Evanston at the time which he got to learn from the ground floor up. All that experience led him
“Thank you everybody,” Muno said “Thank you for everything, the friendship, the memories, the laughs and the greatest profession in the world, and being part of it, for me and my career, has been exceptional.”
In an interview before the ceremony,
Muno stood to the side as Fire Chief
Stood at attention as b played and bagpipe music played, and Fire Chief Paul Polep rolled
Muno joined the Evanston Fire Department on Aug. 18, 1986. His commitment to public service, steady leadership and deep dedication to the community propelled him through the ranks: Muno was promoted to captain on Aug. 19, 1996, promoted to shift chief on Feb. 27, 2012 and finally promoted to deputy chief on May 10, 2021.
Muno joined the Evanston Fire Department on Aug. 18, 1986. His commitment to public service, steady leadership and deep dedication to the community propelled him through the ranks: Muno was promoted to captain on Aug. 19, 1996, promoted to shift chief on Feb. 27, 2012 and finally promoted to deputy chief on May 10, 2021.
Yeah. So we had a fire in September of 2021, and he was a part of the crew that responded, and he was just so amazing. He was so attentive and so kind and so patient that it really left a lasting impact on us, my entire family. And so when I heard about his final walkout ceremony, I had to be here.