Lombard Fire Chief Rick Sander's last day was Thursday, Oct. 8, ending a decade leading a department that responded to more than 8,200 calls in 2025.

Sander joined Lombard as fire chief in October 2016 after a national search. He retires with more than 40 years in the fire service, according to a village press release issued Sept. 24.

During his tenure, Sander oversaw the replacement of aging fire apparatus, improvements to firefighter training and equipment, and upgrades to emergency medical services. The department's two stations handled more than 6,200 emergency medical calls out of its 8,200-plus total responses in 2025, the village said during National EMS Week in May 2026.

Sander's path to Lombard ran through departments in Harvey, Aurora, Oak Brook and Naperville. His grandfather served as fire chief in Harvey, and Sander has said that connection shaped his career. He joined the Naperville Fire Department in 1990 as a firefighter-paramedic and rose to deputy chief by 2011, overseeing 200 members across 10 stations.

"I come from a family of public servants, so serving others was something I was exposed to from an early age," Sander told The Lombardian.

He called the COVID-19 pandemic one of the most challenging periods of his career, noting that protocols changed almost daily and the department had to adapt how it responded to calls while keeping firefighters, paramedics and their families safe.

Village Manager Nicole Aranas said in the Sept. 24 announcement that Sander's "commitment to our firefighters and paramedics, the Department and the safety of our community will leave a lasting impact."

He's not the only one leaving. Deputy Fire Chief George Hyland is also retiring. At the Sept. 3 Village Board meeting, Trustee Bernie Dudek thanked both men for "their excellent years of service to Lombard and our residents," then joked that the village could "periodically call them at 3am with an emergency just so they don't feel too left out."

Village President Anthony Puccio also congratulated both at that meeting.

The village is conducting a recruitment process for the next fire chief but has not announced a timeline or named an interim leader. Sander said he plans to spend his retirement at his lake house, traveling and visiting his children and grandchildren.