PEORIA HEIGHTS, Ill. (WMBD) -- Improving relationships with other departments and cutting down the response times are two priorities for Peoria Heights' new fire chief.
That's the word from Tony Ardis, who was just named the village's new interim fire chief, regarding what he wants to do during his time in the position.
"The response time is the end-all and be-all of this service. A fire can double every 90 seconds," he said. "So what I'm really trying to focus on is how we can improve getting as many personnel on the scene as quickly as possible because that's going to determine the outcome of the situation."
Ardis, who retired four years ago as the city of Peoria's top firefighter, opted to gather his turnout gear and take the reins as interim fire chief for Peoria Heights.
"Yeah, it