Belleville is getting a new fire chief. Here’s what he’ll earn to lead the department
Belleville Fire Chief Tom Pour once thought firefighters were “kind of crazy” to run into burning buildings.
But that was before he joined the French Village Fire Department. Six years later he signed on with the with the Belleville Fire Department.
Now, after 35 years as a firefighter, Pour is retiring.
His soon-to-be former charges will see a familiar face at the head of the department once he officially steps down. Assistant Fire Chief J.P. Penet, who joined the department in 1994 and has served as assistant chief for nine years, will b taking Pour’s place.
Pour’s last day will be July 23 and Penet takes over the next day.
Penet was appointed by Mayor Patty Gregory and the Belleville City Council recently voted 14-2 to approve Mayor Patty Gregory’s appointment.
Gregory took particular note of Penet’s education and technical talent. She said she believes he’s “very well qualified” to run the department.
Aldermen Joe Hazel and Dennis Weygandt were the two council members who voted against the Penet appointment. They said in interviews after the vote that they wanted the city to advertise the opening to see what other candidates would apply.
At $117,160 per year, Penet will be paid the same annual salary as Pour. To see the salaries of other fire department employees and public employees across the metro-east, you can go to the public pay database at bnd.com.
The BND met with Pour and Penet to discuss their careers at the fire department, which has 60 union firefighters, three command staff positions and two office workers for a total of 65 employees divided across four fire stations. The department has an annual budget of about $7.3 million.
J.P. Penet, incoming fire chief
Belleville Assistant Fire Chief J.P. Penet, who has been with the department for 27 years, said the firefighters’ bond is like a “big family.”
“We’ve never supplanted the members’ first family is what we call it. We become a second family,” he said. “And we’re grateful for these families who allow us to have their family members for a brief period.
“We’re grateful for that time and dedication these members have. After being here for 27 years, it’s a fantastic opportunity to lead them through the next period.”
Penet, 51, served as an firefighter at Scott Air Force Base for about three years before joining the Belleville Fire Department.
As assistant fire chief for the city, he has been responsible for the department’s fire prevention, education and code enforcement efforts.
Penet said when he inspects a building, he talks to the owners about ways to prevent fires and, in case one does start, how to get people out of the building safely.
“I get to meet new people just about all the time,” he said. “I get to go inside these buildings and see what these creative people are doing for these businesses and I get to find ways to help them succeed.”
Penet said he wants to continue improving the Belleville’s relationship with nearby fire departments.
“We work very closely with our surrounding departments, which is a great change that’s really come about in the last 10 years and I’d like to continue that and then take it another step forward,” he said.
He outlined additional ideas for his tenure as fire chief.
“My goals for the department are to help prevent emergencies through education, code enforcement but also public meetings where we work together to collaborate to find out what we can do to our communities to help us go into the future.
“I’d like to make sure that we’re committed and capable and compassionate enough to respond to whatever this community needs.”
Tom Pour, outgoing fire chief
Belleville Fire Chief Tom Pour said he doesn’t respond with firefighters to every call in the middle of the night, but he does hear every call.
When he goes to sleep, he puts in an earbud connected to the fire radio so he can keep up with the action.
“I’ve been in this business 35 years,” Pour said. “I love it but it’s one of those things where I give 110% every day so I’m always listening to the radio. Even at night I sleep with a speaker in my ear so that my wife can’t hear it. But that’s every night.
“So even if I’m not going on calls, I get woke up every time they go on a call. Right now, the only time I can get a full night sleep is if I’m out of town on vacation.”
Pour, 53, joined the department in 1992 and became chief in 2014. He expects to receive an annual pension of 72.5% percent of his salary, which would be about $85,000.
Under Pour’s leadership, the fire department has been able to maintain the city’s high ranking for fire protection.
Belleville has an Insurance Services Office Inc., or ISO, rating of 2 on a 10-point scale with 1 being the best rating. Pour said only 10 percent of communities nationwide have a fire rating that is as high.
“It’s a challenge to keep up because they look at response times,” he said.
Pour said it means the city’s firefighters arrived at 95% of structure fires in three minutes or less.
“Which is awesome,” he said. “You can’t replace getting on the scene quick.”
When firefighters arrive in less than three minutes, it increases the chances that anyone trapped inside a burning building can be rescued, he said.
Pour said he worked to improve all facets of the department during his tenure as chief.
“I don’t think there’s one piece of the department that is the same as when I started,” he said. “We’ve revamped everything.”
One of the changes included making the fire prevention program more interactive for students and teachers.
The department also established a technical rescue team, a water rescue team and a hazardous materials response team.
Grants were often used to get training for members of these specialized teams. Also, the teams will respond to areas outside of the city in some emergency situations.
“We have really broadened our relationship with neighboring departments and we offer a higher level of service to both our citizens and the entire area than we ever did before,” Pour said.
This story was originally published July 17, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
