ALGONQUIN ¬– If history is any indication, former Huntley Fire Chief Jim Saletta won’t stay retired for long.
The last time Saletta retired¬, it¬ was just for one hour. At 7 a.m. on a November day in 2001, he retired as deputy chief for the Elgin Fire Department. At 8 a.m. that day, he began his new tenure as Huntley’s fire chief.
Former Huntley Fire Chief Jim Saletta (center) is presented with a plaque by Huntley Chief of Police John Perkins (left) and Deputy Chief Todd Fulton (right) during a Nov. 2 open house ceremony for Saletta’s retirement. (Photo by Mason Souza/Sun Day)
“I got bored with the retirement, so after an hour I gave it up,” Saletta joked.
That was all on a technicality, however: Saletta said he was taking his last day in Elgin off. And while he does plan on a much longer retirement now, he will remain involved in Huntley as a commissioner for the District and keep involved with the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association.
“He’s a great guy, and he’ll be missed. But I know he wants to stay around,” Kelly Gitzke, firefighter-paramedic for the district, said.
Fellow officers from various local fire departments and districts joined Saletta’s family, friends, and appreciative community members at Fire Station 4 in Algonquin. The group was there to send off Saletta following his 11-year tenure in Huntley.
Saletta began his career as a volunteer firefighter in Pingree Grove for three years before moving to Elgin’s Fire Department in 1979. There, he climbed the ranks to deputy fire chief, becoming fire chief for Huntley in 2001.
Saletta was drawn to the prospects and challenges of growth in the village.
“For anyone who aspires to be a fire chief, it was a great opportunity,” he said. “[Huntley] had a young fire department that they wanted to expand. They had two new fire stations that were coming online, stations two and three at that time. They had a very progressive Board of Trustees.”
A referendum passed in 2000, increasing the ambulance service rate paid by homeowners from .1355 to .30 percent, was instrumental in the Fire Protection District keeping up with community growth, Saletta said.
In recent years, Saletta said the District has been wary of the economic recession, setting a zero percent tax levy increase for fiscal year 2012-2013. The District has also been debt free since January 2012.
Saletta said his role in Huntley required him to take on a larger share of responsibility than he would have had in Elgin.
“You wear a lot of different hats in a district. When you’re with a village or city, you have an attorney, you have a human resources department,” he said. “When you’re with a district, the chief has to do a lot of the functions that are done by other departments.”
Ken Caudle, former deputy chief, is taking over Saletta’s role as chief.
“It’s a big step; Jim Saletta’s been a great boss and a great mentor, so he really laid the groundwork for me, and he kind of walked me through the processes. So it’s an honor, one to be a fire chief, but it’s even a bigger honor to replace him since he was such a great guy,” Caudle said.
As Sun City makes up a large portion of the calls received by the District, Saletta has had plenty of time to get to know many Sun Citians.
“The residents of Sun City have been very supportive of us, and we really appreciate it. They’ve gone out of their way to take care of us on holidays as far as bringing holiday meals,” he said.
