Lake County Gazette

At their May 8th board meeting, the village of Mundelein celebrated the promotions of three of firefighters, and a new four-legged addition to the police department.

Jeremy Lockwood was promoted to Deputy Fire Chief, Gil Rubio to Battalion Chief and Jackie Stone named Lieutenant.

"That takes us to three promotions within our fire department. I'm going to turn it over to Chief Bill Lark for these," Mayor Steve Lentz said.

Lark called up each firefighter to take their new oath and be pinned by a chosen member of their family.

Lockwood was joined by his wife, son, and daughter, among other family members. Lark shared the story of Lockwood.

“Jeremy grew up in Mundelein," the chief said. "He began his path into the fire service with us as an explorer when he was 16 years old.” He joined the fire department in 1997 and then became a career firefighter and paramedic in 2002. He has risen in the ranks ever since. Lockwood also serves on the Lake and McHenry County Hazardous Materials team and as the department's designated infection control officer, a crucial position since the pandemic. He was sworn in as the newest Deputy Fire Chief and pinned by his daughter.

Rubio was joined by his wife and children, although his daughter was unable to attend as she had just given birth to Rubio’s first grandchild. Rubio has been with the fire service for over 30 years across a few municipalities, serving in Mundelein since 2000. He oversees equipment and tool purchasing for the department, as well as serving as their car seat installation expert and CPR instructor.

Stone was promoted to lieutenant surrounded by her husband and children, as well as her extended family. Stone started as an on-call firefighter in 2005, and was hired as a career firefighter in the fall of 2006. She handles all the updates and changes on their vehicle mobile data terminals and is the department’s CAD expert.

The board also had the excitement of welcoming the newest police department member, Millie, who will work with their social work department and serve as a comfort dog for victims and their families during difficult times. Millie was purchased through a donation from the Mundelein Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association and is attending training for the next several months. Millie was named through a competition involving all the local schools with suggestions from students.