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(gentle music) (upbeat music) - Welcome to "Business Forward", I'm your host, Matt George, joining me tonight, Bobby Zimmerman.

Bobby is the East Peoria fire chief.

Welcome Bobby.

- Welcome, thank you, appreciate it.

- Well, let's start off with you.

I know you've got couple little boys, great family, great wife.

And are you from around here?

- So I am, I was born and raised in Germantown, went to Metamora High School.

- Okay.

- And then graduated high school.

I went in the Air National Guard, got a degree at ICC and I was fortunate enough to get hired by the East Peoria Fire Department in 2004.

- 2004, right out of college.

- Right out of junior college there.

So I had turned 22 in June and got hired by the fire department in July '04.

So I was four years outta high school but in that time I was in the guard and then was able to get my associate's degree through ICC.

- So you go into the guard and there's your discipline piece right there.

'cause you need that in your job period, right?

- Yes, absolutely.

The military was a great learning environment for myself, discipline and structure.

I wasn't a bad kid, but I needed a little bit more of that to guide me.

And that opportunity is amazing for anyone that's interested in it, it will help you countless times, over and over.

- You and I have, we've had a discussion before about I told you when I was a little kid, I wanted to be in the FBI and CIA, and kids want to be firefighters and police officers.

And did you always wanna be a firefighter?

- So I believe so.

My father was the fire chief in Germantown Hills when I was younger.

- Did not know that.

- So he was on their volunteer fire department for 30, 35 years.

So I remember back then, they had a little pager that was at the house and it would make its noise, and I'd hop in the truck with my dad and we would go to the firehouse, and back then usually one of the older volunteer firemen would come in and run the radio room it was called, and I'd sit in there and listen to the calls and kind of grew up around it.

- Yeah.

- And it was a big part of my life growing up and I think that carried with me more than I knew.

And then when I was about 15 or 16, I just enjoy helping people and I was like, that's what I'm gonna do and- - That's pretty cool, that's pretty cool.

I did not know that about your dad.

So you were getting your mind molded into.

Was he in the military?

- He was not, my grandfather was in the marines.

- Okay.

- And they lived three houses down for me.

So I got a lot of that military driven from me.

- I gotcha you.

- And then my father was very structured as well.

And I saw him at the volunteer fire department and that's, I just knew.

- Yeah.

So now that your chief, was that ever like when you were 22 and you're just getting into the business, did you think back then at some time, maybe it was 23 to four or five, whatever, did you ever think my goal someday is to be the chief or does it just happen?

I mean, how does that happen?

- I believe it just happens.

- Okay.

- And it was never, when I was a young probationary fireman or a young guy on the job, I never really had that goal or that vision of like, I really want to be the chief, it never was.

And then as your career progresses, I was a leader in the union for a long time.

I was promoted to lieutenant in 2012.

And you just see a lot of people coming up and saying, "Hey, you know, you're doing a good job, you've got a lot of natural capabilities."

And one thing leads to another and here I am as the fire chief.

- What would you say when you hear that and now you look back as you've become aged in your job, I think you've been at 17-18 years a firefighter.

- Correct.

- So let's say after the 10th year, what leadership qualities in business, because this is a business, it's not just a, you know, hey, this is my hobby, this is what I do.

This is real life business here.

- It is, it is.

And I think you learn to know your strengths and your weaknesses and the best thing you can do as a leader, whether it's the fire department, whether it's private business, it doesn't matter, is know those strengths and weaknesses and be able to say, "Hey, I don't know this, but I know a lot of smart people that do."

- Yeah.

- Or if you know you've got good people underneath you that can do their job, make sure they have the tools to do their job and just get out of their way.

And no one, a lot of people say, "Hey, I'm not gonna micromanage you."

And then they're the person that micromanage usually the most.

- Yeah.

- And in my line of work at the East Peoria Fire Department, the men and women we have are amazing.

And as long as I can give them the tools to succeed, they're gonna continue to do a great job no matter who the fire chief is.

You know, I've heard you talk before, when you talk about leadership as always wanting to push that credit off to where credits do, you know your team, your team is the most important thing in being chief.

As you look at new firefighters coming in, do you look at people who just pass tests and check a box, or do you look for certain qualities in people as they're coming into this business.

- You look for qualities.

And I had a conversation with a couple of our newer guys that are going through a paramedic class and I tell them, you don't necessarily have to have straight A's, but you have to be able to recognize street smarts and common sense.

So if you get good grades and have a high level of common sense, you're a natural leader.

And you can see those folks as they're molding their young career on the ones that have those strengths and the, what you're looking for to really carry the torch to the next level.

- I mean, you haven't been chief for that long, you're recently named.

So when you are, can you tell that there's eyes on you in a different way, and being in that leadership position, because everything you do, the way you walk, the way you pick up the phone, the way, every decision you make is important.

- Yes.

So it's a brotherhood at the firehouse, and you can see how that changes a little bit with a new title or a different colored shirt.

- That's what I was getting at.

- Yes.

- I just couldn't ex figure out the wording but yeah.

- So there's still all my brothers and sisters, and that's never gonna change, but there is a difference now of when I say something, it is from the chief and it's not just, "Hey, that's Bobby talking."

(Matt laughing) So I have to be careful in what I say, how I say it, because it is a reflection of the fire chief and it has to be professional.

And the good thing is, is all the people I've worked with, none of them have forgotten that I am the fire chief, and they don't expect anything different than to me, just to be myself.

- Yeah, that's well put.

So have you ever thought that being 17 years as a firefighter, that you're basically on call your whole life?

(Matt laughing) - It's funny that you say that, and it just shows how it goes full circle and what I mean by that is when I first started into the fire service in 2000 as a volunteer fireman in Germantown, the day I turned 18, I signed up that exact same day.

- Okay.

- And you're given a pager and it says, when it goes off, you come into the firehouse and take care of stuff.

So every day you're like waiting, waiting.

Then I get hired on a career department and you work a 24 on 48 hour shift.

So for those 24 hours, you're running and every call you're thinking about, you're hearing it over the radio.

And then the two days you get off and you're doing whatever, coaching your kids, mowing the yard, however that works.

Now as the fire chief, it reverts back to how I first started every day, all day long, you have a radio or a pager, your phone may ring.

So yeah, you're never not on call.

- That's crazy, yeah.

- Unless you're out of town and really unavailable.

- Right.

- You're always on call.

- So in layers, is there an assistant chief just, I always picture like the Sheriff's Department, there's an undersheriff.

And then, yeah, you've got different.

So how does that go?

- So at the East Peoria Fire Department, we have a fire chief, a deputy fire chief, and those guys work what we'll consider Monday through Friday jobs.

And then we have an assistant chief, who's the shift commander that works a 24-48 hour and he's in charge of that shift with all three stations.

- Okay.

- So then anything above a structure fire, or some significant type incident, then usually the fire chief or the deputy chief will respond.

- You know, I wanna go back to leadership for a minute, because if you think about being a fireman and I may be putting words in your mouth, but I've seen enough shows to know that communication is number one in what you do, it's gotta be, right?

- It is, it is.

I mean, so the shows are somewhat real, but the communication is real.

No matter what you are, you have to be able to communicate.

And in our line of work, I know right now, Zoom and all these other different types of communication are running rampant.

We still are face to face 'cause when we go somewhere, usually that person, whether it's the worst day of their life or just a sad day in their life, they're usually calling 911, 'cause something is going on that they can't control.

- Gotcha you.

- And when you get there, you don't get to zoom in, I mean you gotta talk to somebody that's having a bad day.

Whether they got a sick mom or dad, a sick child, they've just been in a car accident, their house is on fire.

You know you are getting real life communication face to face with people when they're having their worst time.

- Wow, yeah.

So, if I was a young firefighter and I was coming in and they said chief is going to mentor you, what would be the advice that you give someone new coming in for someone that's been in the job, as long as you have and what types of things do a lot of these young recruits come in and need to have three, five, ten years down on?

- So, the first thing I tell 'em is to keep their ears wide open and their mouth somewhat quiet.

And that doesn't mean that they don't get to talk because it is a family atmosphere.

So when we're all sitting around cooking dinner or whatever, absolutely you're engaging everyone but then when we have calls, the biggest thing you can do is listen and watch, and see how they're run because even though every call is different, there's a base way of how it's operated and how it runs sufficient, and to the best of everyone's ability.

So I would tell those young guys to listen and keep their eyes open and every tool will be given to them at the right moment.

This is a job that you have to be able to crawl before you go sprinting out the door and you don't know what you don't know till you don't know.

- And what's the retention rate, I mean, do you, are you worried about people leaving once they start or do you?

- So I'm not as worried about the retention rate as I am getting them in the door, I am concerned about getting new firemen in the door and where I say that.

So in all four probably a hundred people took a test, you have a written test, an oral interview and a physical agility type test, whether that's a mile and a half run or a combat type challenge.

And in that a list back in all four was made of about 50 people, so if you didn't crack the top 10, you knew for probably two years, I wasn't gonna get hired on that department.

We just tested at the most, we're waiting for their written scores, but the most people were gonna have on our list is four.

- That follows me a while.

- We have two immediate openings and we're, so come July 1st, we're probably gonna be testing again.

And we just tested because people don't want to do these jobs and it's not just East Peoria, it's- - It's everywhere.

- It's everywhere.

- Well, I guess that goes to, it doesn't matter what profession you're in.

I mean, if you look at the police department, Peoria Police Department, the numbers of people interested are way down.

Chicago.

- Yep.

- Danville, I could name every town within, whatever, but I think it's sad 'cause it goes back to my first question is, do kids dream about doing this anymore?

And maybe they dream, but then the reality hits and you're wondering where these people are.

- So I believe they dream about being a cop or a fireman or an army guy as we would call it.

And whether they're riding their bikes and playing those, I believe they dream like that up until probably 11 or 12.

- Okay.

- And then unfortunately all the gadgets that everybody has, whether it's video games, cell phones, iPads, you name it, take over and then it just spread like wildfire and the dream and the kid isn't the same dream a kid that we grew up with.

- Yeah.

- They're more advanced technology, but they look at, "Hey, I don't need to be a cop or a fireman, I can work at YouTuber or make TikTok videos."

- Be an influencer.

- Yes, yeah.

And it's sad that that's the reality that we're in.

- Yeah.

And I think the other way of looking at it too, is it puts future in harm's way, if you don't have quality people.

- Correct.

- At any of these positions.

- And it's not just in police and fire, it's everywhere.

- Yeah, it's nurses.

- Yes.

- I mean it's teachers, my wife's a teacher and I mean it's crazy, social service work like what I've been in.

I mean, I want these kids, these young people to go to college and want to give back, 'cause there's nothing better.

I think you and I agree on something, that when you look at the end of the day, we know at the end of the day that we'll want run through any wall for anybody to take care of that person.

That's what we do.

- Yes.

- And you just need more of these types of people.

- You do.

And it's knowing that there's a greater cause out there.

And it's always, I've always looked at the firehouses.

It's bigger than just the person.

- Right?

- I mean you're taking care of people day in and day out that truly need your help, appreciate your help.

And it's like service before self.

It really is.

- Yeah.

- I mean, you're just there for the greater good.

And those are the kind of people that make good firemen.

- Yeah, we talk about servant leadership.

I mean, that's what that is.

Mayor John Kahl of East Peoria was recently on this show and he said that if you look at Chief Zimmerman's vision, his hard work, his dedication to not just his team, but his community, there's a lot of good things in store for the future.

At your age, your early 40's, right?

- 39, I'll be 40 in June - Okay, all right.

I had the age - Yeah.

- So you're young and you're a young fire chief.

So you've got a lot of runway ahead of you in terms of growth and not only growth for yourself and East Peoria Fire Department, but also all of these new people coming in.

And I talk about this a lot because I think the training in your business has got to be key.

- Training is huge.

To say that it's the most important thing would be an ordinary statement because you have to be prepared for everything, and being a younger fire chief, one is good because I can relate to the guys 'cause I was just there on a hose line or just there starting an IV, and with having a 10 to 12, 13, 14 year tenure as fire chief is gonna be huge in my position in the way I feel is no matter who comes in as a different leader, you have a roller coaster effect, good, bad, and different, there's gonna be changes.

- Yeah.

- At least now once the changes are made and things level out, you're going to, I'm gonna be there long enough to see them change and consistency is gonna be huge, and everyone is gonna know what to expect, 'cause every leader has different expectations.

- Right.

- And it'll be an easy road, once all of that is smoothed out.

- I think when you look at people, I'm picturing what a fireman does on a daily basis and you think, okay, preventing or combating fires, that's just the obvious.

But when you're talking about operating everything, that's on that truck and all the tools and everything, that's gotta be a heavy part of the training.

I'm guessing, I don't even know what some of that stuff is.

- No, you're right, it's a lot.

And so East Peoria Fire Department is also all paramedics.

So not only do you have everything that's on the fire engine, everything that's on an ambulance is also on that fire engine and almost vice versa.

Like there's a lot of air packs, there's fire extinguishers, forcible entry tools are on the ambulance.

So even if you're on the ambulance, you still have all the fire stuff to know.

And if you're on the engine or the fire truck, you have all the EMS paramedic stuff to know.

So you have to know something every day that you come in, you have to learn or refresh yourself, even if you've been there 20 years, because you will forget all of that stuff.

You can't just not touch a piece of equipment for six months and then expect it two o'clock in the morning in the middle of a rainstorm, you're gonna remember how to use it.

- Right, yeah.

- And so talking about, man, this is just crazy, 'cause now I'm thinking about, you go on calls like a wreck as an example.

So, is that why the fire department goes on all of the calls of Rex and everything else because you are paramedics?

- Correct.

- I was trying to get that out and think, but I guess I was always wondering why does there have to be a police officer, an ambulance and a fire?

- Yeah, so in the city of Eastport we staff the ambulance is in our firehouse as well.

So those are the same people.

So those guys that literally come in one day and they work on an ambulance.

Then the next day they come in and they work on a fire engine.

- Oh.

- And they're all paramedics so if you live at one, two, three main street and have chest pain, a fire truck, fire engine and an ambulance is gonna show up at your door with four trained paramedics, and you are gonna get advanced life support care in a matter of minutes with four trained people that do this day in and day out.

- I'm glad you said that, 'cause I bet you, a lot of people don't realize that.

- Many people don't know that.

- Yeah.

- And it's huge 'cause it's a cliche thing, seconds matter.

Well, when you're not breathing seconds do matter.

- Right.

- You know, not every, and when you see us driving, if we don't have our lights and sirens on, it doesn't mean we're not going to a call.

It just means that we're not going to something where someone's not breathing.

- There you go, all right.

So, I've always wondered like when there's hazardous situations or those types of gas leaks, whatever it may be, how do you train in that, like how do you?

Because that would be very scary to the scary part to me.

Putting out a fire seems like that's dangerous enough, but when you there's the unknown there of something you can't see.

- So there's a lot of calculated risks and this is where common sense comes in.

You know, there's not a textbook answer for 90% of the stuff firemen do.

You're taking the situation and you're deciding which risks, benefits, hazards and making a calculated plan all within about 90 seconds.

- Hmm.

Well, that's a lot of pressure.

- But that's why when you come in, you keep your ears open and your eyes open and you're able to start building those scenarios in your head and like, "Hey, I bet this is what the lieutenant's gonna do, oh, that's what he did."

And then you remember that.

- Gotcha.

And then the next time you go on, you learn a little bit more.

- So maintaining a clean fire department, not just is crucial.

- Yes.

- Because you're dealing with sick people and now with COVID that threw in a whole different thing.

So how do you, you're in charge of everything, right?

- Yes.

- Everything.

- Yes.

So you really have to prioritize and execute.

- Yeah, I mean, I've like a million questions in my head because you put out fires, you have the emergency piece, the paramedic piece, the teaching and participating in drills, you're sitting over here, general maintenance or whatever it may be on the- - Right.

- People don't think of that.

- Yeah like the fire trucks engines need their oil change.

I mean, you name everything that you.

- Right, work body fix it.

- Well, luckily we have a lot of great people.

- Okay.

- And that's where you gotta surround yourself with good people to be an effective leader.

And that gets back to that piece of you don't have to know everything, but as long as you know, someone that knows a lot about whatever that specialty is, use that person as an asset and not a liability.

- Yeah, so last few minutes, let's talk about the business piece.

So you have a budget, - Correct.

- And does each house have a budget or you just have an overall?

- No, so we have an overall budget for the fire department.

- Okay.

- In itself.

- And then, so do you have to present the budget?

Who do you report to?

- So, I have in the commissioner form of government.

So the commissioner of public safety is Seth Mingus.

- Okay.

- And then we have the full-time mayors and Mayor Kahl, and then the council as a whole.

- Okay.

And so do you prepare what you think the budget's gonna look like or do you, and then present it to Seth or whoever?

- So we have our finance director keeps a very good record so we can see, I can pull it up on a computer.

Like, hey, we're trending up or we're down.

A lot of our fixed costs are fixed costs payroll with like any other business.

- Right.

- And then you really just try to budget to the best that you can and know that it is a tax based service, and these taxpayers expect a good service and they expect their money to not be wasted.

And that's how I run our budget is, as a taxpayer that lives in town, I don't wanna see anybody's money wasted.

And if whatever we're doing, if it's expensive and it's justifiable, then so be it.

But it doesn't need to be wasted.

- I mean, we've had the discussion before all those things we just mentioned earlier, but there is a business.

- Yes.

- And that business is important.

- It is.

- And because you do not want every taxpayer in the world chewing your butt.

(laughing) - No, no, they have to, they pay for a service and they pay their tax bill and they have to be happy with that service.

And they deserve that.

And we're accountable for those, for that dollar, for that citizen to let them know that it's being spent wisely.

- Yeah.

And so lastly, what does community mean to Bobby?

- That's a good question.

Community is where everything happens.

If you really take a step back and look at your community as a whole, it's a reflection of the every person that lives there.

And you have to have the same pride in your community as you do your family name and everything will be good.

- You know, knowing you and knowing you pretty well over this last couple of years, I'll tell you, you and I think alike in terms of, it's our duty to take care of this community.

So I appreciate what you do.

I appreciate what your team does and stay safe.

We're proud to have you as the new fire chief of East Peoria.

Thanks for coming in chief.

- I appreciate it, anytime.

- We appreciate it, I'm Matt George.

And this is another episode of "Business Forward."

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