Kankakee, IL – The Kankakee Fire Department wishes to announce the retirement of Deputy Chief Eric Boness, after 30 years of service with the City of Kankakee. D/C Boness has been a dedicated member of the department, working his way up through the ranks including Firefighter, Paramedic, EMS Coordinator, Lieutenant, Captain, Training Officer, Shift Commander and Deputy Chief. He was hired on December 17, 1990 and his retirement with the City will be effective on January 16, 2021.

“Eric has committed the past 30 years to the Kankakee Fire Department and to the area’s fire service. Along the way, he helped start the county’s Haz-Mat Team and successfully led that team for many years. During his time as our Training Officer, he developed our driver training program and our officer training program which includes the Blue Card Incident Command System, a procedure used throughout all departments within Kankakee County to this day. We thank D/C Boness for his commitment to the City, to the fire department and to the Fire service,” said Chief Damon Schuldt.

“I’ve been lucky in my life to do what I love and love what I do. When you do that, you never work a day in your life. I love getting up and going to work every day and I will miss the people tremendously. The fire department has been a blessing to me. I’ve been able to help many people throughout my career. I hope that I’ve made a positive impact to the people I work with and the citizens of Kankakee,” said Deputy Chief Boness.

“I would like to congratulate our Deputy Chief, Eric Boness and wish him well in his retirement. Anyone who knows him, knows he lived and breathed the fire service. He was extremely dedicated to the department and leaves behind a legacy of professionalism, commitment to life-long learning and leadership,” said Mayor Wells-Armstrong.

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The City of Kankakee is dedicated to protecting, building and nurturing the community while enhancing lives. We are a historic, vibrant, and active riverfront community. We continue to transform into an extraordinary place to dream, grow, and thrive. Embracing our diversity, we strive to be progressive, inclusive, and innovative. For more information on the City of Kankakee, please visit the website at www.citykankakee-il.gov.

 

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